''Jacobiasca formosana'', the tea jassid, is an insect species belonging to the subfamily

Typhlocybinae Typhlocybinae is a subfamily of insects in the leafhopper family, Cicadellidae. This is currently the second largest leafhopper subfamily based on the number of described species, but researchers believe there are so many taxa yet undescribed th ...

of the family Cicadellidae. Plant hosts include '' Gossypium'' (cotton) species and, notably, ''

Camellia sinensis ''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage, tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (not to ...

'' (Chinese tea plants). The species is distributed throughout East, Southeast, and South Asia (including in China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand).

Names

Common names for ''J. formosana'' include the small green

leafhopper A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and a ...

, tea green leafhopper, or tea

jassid A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and a ...

. In

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

, the insect is referred to as 茶小綠葉蟬 ''(chá xiǎo lǜ yèchán)'' or 小綠浮塵子 ''(xiǎo lǜ fúchénzǐ)''. In Siyen

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

, it is called 著涎 ''(Zhe xián)'', 著蜒 ''(Zhe yán)'', or 著煙 ''(Zhe yān)''. In

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

, it is 浮塵仔 ''(phû-tîn-á)'', 蜒仔 ''(iân-á)'', 蝝仔 ''(iân-á)'', 烟仔 ''(ian-á)'', 趙烟 ''(tiō-ian)'', 跳仔 ''(tiô-á)'' or 青仔 ''(chhiⁿ-á)''. Confusingly, ''

Empoasca vitis ''Empoasca'' is a genus of leafhoppers belonging to the family Cicadellidae subfamily Typhlocybinae. Species * '' Empoasca abrupta'' DeLong, 1931 * '' Empoasca affinis'' Nast, 1937 * '' Empoasca alsiosa'' Ribaut, 1933 * '' Empoasca apicalis'' ( ...

'' (the false-eye leafhopper; 假眼小綠葉蟬) is also called the tea green leafhopper and '' Empoasca flavescens'' (蓮霧小綠葉蟬) is also called the small green leafhopper.

Description and habits

The mature ''J. formosana'' are slender and yellowish-green with translucent wings with a body length of about . The adults eat young plant shoots for the nutrient solution within, which retards bud growth and causes yellow-green bud curling. The leaf margins turn brown and eventually fall off.

Use in tea production

''Jacobiasca formosana'' is important in the production of Taiwan's ''dongfang meiren'' tea. The tea, which is an

oolong tea Oolong (, ; (''wūlóngchá'', "dark dragon" tea)) is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea (''Camellia sinensis)'' produced through a process including withering the plant under strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting.Zhongguo ...

with a flavor likened to ripened fruit and honey, is made from leaves partially eaten by these insects. The insects, which thrive in warmer, pollution-free environments, suck the phloem juices of the tea stems, leaves, and buds, producing

monoterpene Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen funct ...

diol A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups ( groups). An aliphatic diol is also called a glycol. This pairing of functional groups is pervasive, and many subcategories have been identified. The most common industrial diol is e ...

and hotrienol which give the tea its unique flavor. This process has inspired makers of other types of tea such as ''dongding'' oolong tea and the east coast black teas of Hualien and Taitung to withhold pesticide use in order to replicate this process in other teas. Similar action of jassids and

thrips Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...

helps form the

muscatel Muscatel ( ) is a type of wine made from muscat grapes. The term is now normally used in the United States to refer to a fortified wine made from these grapes rather than just any wine made from these grapes. This fortified muscatel became pop ...

-like flavor of India's second flush Darjeeling tea.Bornali Gohain et al. "Understanding Darjeeling Tea Flavour on a Molecular Basis". ''Plant Molecular Biology'' 78.6 (2012), 577-597, DOI: 10.1007/s11103-012-9887-0 Retrieved 20 July 2012.

References

External links

Photos of ''J. formosana''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9198282 Empoascini Agricultural pest insects Hemiptera of Asia Insects described in 1932 Tea production

Names

Description and habits

Use in tea production

See also

References

External links