Jump to content

Entylia carinata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Entylia carinata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
Family: Membracidae
Genus: Entylia
Species:
E. carinata
Binomial name
Entylia carinata
(Forster, 1771)
Nymph
Carpenter Ant Tending to Keeled Treehoppers

Entylia carinata, commonly known as the keeled treehopper, is a species of treehopper in the family Membracidae. They can be found in Brazil, Panama, Mexico, the United States, and Canada.[1][2][3][4] Keeled treehoppers are often attended by ants which feed on the honeydew they excrete. In return, the ants offer protection from predators.[5] Keeled treehoppers typically feed on plants in the aster family and they are not known to transmit plant diseases and are not considered significant plant pests.[5]

Biology

[edit]

Life cycle

[edit]
Keeled Treehopper (Entylia carinata) guarding eggs
Keeled Treehopper (Entylia carinata) guarding eggs

As adults, keeled treehoppers spend the winter months in leaf litter and debris, finally emerging in March.[5] They begin to reproduce and implant their eggs on aster leafs.[5] During this time of year plants produce vulnerable growth and soft tissues which make it an optimal time to embed their eggs.[5] Occasionally the laid eggs cause the leaf to fold over, forming a protected environment for the nymphs to develop in once they hatch.[5]

Behavior

[edit]

Keeled treehoppers mothers exhibit parental care and spend time protecting their egg masses.[5] They are phloem feeders, and their diet consists of liquids extracted from plants.[6] Plant sap, while a convenient material to feed on, is lacking in many different nutrients including essential amino acids.[7] Because their food source is so nutrient poor, keeled treehoppers rely on gut symbionts in order to supplement their diet.[6]

Host plants

[edit]

Keeled treehoppers can be found on plants such as asters, baccharis, fleabane, goldenrod, sunflowers, oaks, dogwood, solanum, dahlias, and many more.[5] However, they exhibit a preference for plants in the family Asteraceae.[5]

Geographic distribution

[edit]

These insects can be found in Canada, the eastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.[4]

Morphology

[edit]

Keeled treehoppers have unique saddle shaped keels, and are small and brown.[5] The species exhibits sexual dimorphism, females are typically 1/4 of an inch (6.35 mm) long with more pronounced keels while males are smaller, and their keels less noticeable.[5] On occasion, males appear so different that they are misidentified.[5]

Symbiosis

[edit]

Like many other species in the family Membracidae, keeled treehoppers have ant-tending mutualism.[6] Ants care for both nymphs and adults.[8] The ant species known to live symbiotically with keeled treehoppers are Camponotus ferrugineus, Formica subsericea, Prenolepis imparis, Tapinoma sessile, and Camponotus pennsylvanicus.[8] Ants feed on treehopper honeydew and assist the treehoppers fending off predators and facilitating feeding.[9] Honeydew feeding not only benefits ants, but also prevents nymphs from becoming trapped in the sticky material and sooty molds from growing on the host plants.[9]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Entylia carinata species details". Catalogue of Life. Archived from the original on 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  2. ^ "Entylia carinata". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  3. ^ "Entylia carinata Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  4. ^ a b "Entylia carinata Overview". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Keeled Treehopper". NC State Extension Publications. NC State University. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Mao, Meng; Yang, Xiushuai; Bennett, Gordon (2016). "The complete mitochondrial genome of Entylia carinata (Hemiptera: Membracidae)". Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 1 (1): 662–663. doi:10.1080/23802359.2016.1219629. ISSN 2380-2359. PMC 7800129. PMID 33473588.
  7. ^ Mao, Meng; Yang, Xiushuai; Poff, Kirsten; Bennett, Gordon (June 2017). "Comparative Genomics of the Dual-Obligate Symbionts from the Treehopper, Entylia carinata (Hemiptera: Membracidae), Provide Insight into the Origins and Evolution of an Ancient Symbiosis". Genome Biology and Evolution. 9 (6): 1803–1815. doi:10.1093/gbe/evx134. ISSN 1759-6653. PMC 5533117. PMID 28854637.
  8. ^ a b Flynn, Dawn; Elliott, Todd F.; Stanley, Allein (2018-11-02). "New host record for Entylia carinata (Forster) (Hemiptera: Membracidae)". Insecta Mundi.
  9. ^ a b Morales, Manuel A. (2000). "Mechanisms and Density Dependence of Benefit in an Ant–Membracid Mutualism". Ecology. 81 (2): 482–489. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[0482:MADDOB]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1939-9170.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]