''Corythucha ciliata'', the sycamore lace bug, is a species of lace bug in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Tingidae The Tingidae are a family of very small () insects in the order Hemiptera that are commonly referred to as lace bugs. This group is distributed worldwide with about 2,000 described species. They are called lace bugs because the pronotum and for ...

that is associated with

sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * '' Acer pseudoplat ...

trees. It originates in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

, but has been introduced and has spread in Europe. It is a small, whitish insect and feeds on the underside of the leaves, sucking sap. There are reports in Europe of ''C. cilata'' landing on people and biting them. Reports from Italy, France and Romania indicate that some people experience adverse reactions, e.g., dermatosis.

Description

The adult sycamore lace bug is milky white in colour and between in length. It is similar in appearance to the cotton lace bug (''

Corythucha gossypii ''Corythucha gossypii'', the cotton lace bug or bean lace bug, is a species of lace bug in the family Tingidae that is associated with cotton and a number of other host plants. Description The adult ''Corythucha gossypi'' is white and lacks t ...

'') and the Florida oak lace bug (''

Corythucha floridana ''Corythucha floridana'', the Florida oak lace bug, is a species in the family Tingidae, the lace bugs, that is associated with oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There ...

''), but lacks the brown crescent-shaped band on the carina (ridge on the body-wall) of the former and is larger than the latter. The only brown colour is a small spot on the protuberance on each elytron (wing-case). The

nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

are oval in shape, dorso-ventrally flattened, black and prickly. This lace bug can most easily be distinguished from other species by its presence on sycamore.

Distribution and hosts

''C. ciliata'' is native to North America and is found where its host trees grow. The main host is the

American sycamore ''Platanus occidentalis'', also known as American sycamore, American planetree, western plane, occidental plane, buttonwood, and water beech, is a species of ''Platanus'' native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeas ...

(''Platanus occidentalis'') but it is sometimes found on other species of ''

Platanus ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except f ...

'', and it has been recorded on ''

Broussonetia papyrifera The paper mulberry (''Broussonetia papyrifera'', syn. ''Morus papyrifera'' L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia,Carya ovata ''Carya ovata'', the shagbark hickory, is a common hickory in the Eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large, deciduous tree, growing well over tall, and can live more than 350 years. The tallest measured shagbark, located in S ...

'', ''

Chamaedaphne ''Chamaedaphne calyculata'', known commonly as leatherleaf or cassandra, is a perennial dwarf shrub in the plant family Ericaceae and the only species in the genus ''Chamaedaphne''. It is commonly seen in cold, acidic bogs and forms large, sprea ...

'' sp., '' Fraxinus'' sp., ''

Quercus laurifolia ''Quercus laurifolia'' (swamp laurel oak, diamond-leaf oak, water oak, obtusa oak, laurel oak) is a medium-sized semi-evergreen oak in the red oak section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the southeastern and south-central the Unite ...

'' and ''

Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgum (''Liquidambar styraciflua''), also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus '' Liquidambar'' native to warm temp ...

''. In Europe, ''C. ciliata'' was first observed in 1964 in

Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, Italy, and has since spread throughout

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

and

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the ...

, infesting the

London plane London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

(''Platanus × hispanica'').Pralavorio, d'Aguilar R.; Rabasse J.M.; Mouton R. 1977. Introduction en France du tigre du platane: ''Corythucha ciliata'' (Say) (Het. Tingidae). Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France 82: 1-6. Although it does not by itself kill trees, in Central Europe it is often found in association with two plant-pathogenic fungi which can kill trees, ''

Apiognomonia veneta ''Apiognomonia veneta'' is a plant pathogen which causes anthracnose on London Plane London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in s ...

'' and ''

Ceratocystis fimbriata ''Ceratocystis fimbriata'' is a fungus and a plant pathogen, attacking such diverse plants as the sweet potato (''black rot'') and the tapping panels of the Para rubber tree (''moldy rot''). It is a diverse species that attacks a wide variety of ...

'', leading to the hypothesis that it may act as a

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

for these fungi.

Life cycle

After the adults have mated, the female lays eggs on the undersides of leaves of the host tree, usually near a fork in the veins. When the eggs hatch, the juveniles stay close together at first, only moving onto a new leaf at the fourth

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow o ...

stage. They puncture the epidermis of the leaf with their mouth parts and suck

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separ ...

. There are five instars, after which the

undergo incomplete metamorphosis to become adults. During the summer in Oklahoma, the whole cycle takes about 44 days. In the warmer parts of the insect's range, there may be several generations each year. The insects are restricted to the underside of the leaves where little black mounds of dried frass can be seen and the shed skins of the nymphs often adhere to the leaf. The upper surface of the leaf is speckled with white, near the veins at first, and the leaf becomes progressively paler or bronzed and may fall early. Overwintering generally takes place as adults in crevices or under flakes of bark, the insects being able to withstand temperatures down to at least .

References

External links

''Corythucha ciliata''
in CABI's Invasive Species Compendium {{Taxonbar, from=Q2032177 Hemiptera of North America Insects described in 1832 Tingidae