Bulletin of Insectology (2019) 72, 85-91

Carmen Castillo Carrillo, Zhen Fu and Daniel Burckhardt (2019)
First record of the tomato potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli from South America
Bulletin of Insectology 72 (1), 85-91
Abstract: The tomato potato psyllid (TPP), Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera Psylloidea), is a major pest on potato (Solanum tuberosum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in North and Central America and, introduced, in New Zealand; it has recently been reported from Western Australia and the Norfolk Island. The TPP causes the plant disorder called "psyllid yellows" in addition to vector the devastating plant pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (LSO), which is the causal agent of the zebra chip (ZC) disease on potato. ZC is detrimental to a number of solanaceous crops in North and Central America as well as in New Zealand. Here we report for the first time the presence of B. cockerelli feeding on potatoes in South America (Ecuador). Molecular tests on a mitochondrial gene confirmed the population from Ecuador as central haplotype. This suggests that the psyllid populations found in Ecuador might come from North or Central America, probably along with agricultural products or other plant material. All Ecuadorian TPPs in our study were tested for LSO and they are free of the pathogen. Nonetheless, there is a risk of introduction of psyllid yellows and ZC into South America. Comprehensive field surveys of solanaceous plants and fine-scaled genomic studies should be considered to locate the source of the psyllid, which could help to prevent the introduction of the pathogen into South America.
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Database assignments for author(s): Daniel Burckhardt

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bactericera cockerelli	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)	Ecuador (continental)