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Photo#339727
Psylloidea, Aphalaridae - Craspedolepta

Psylloidea, Aphalaridae - Craspedolepta
Dunn, Harrison County, Missouri, USA
September 30, 2009
Size: less than 1 mm
What is this? I collected various galls on Euthamia graminifolia, grass-leaved goldenrod and when checking under the microscope found these. I have no idea what they are but I don't think they're insects. This one was a bit acrobatic and the 4 pads on the sides articulate up and down like wings might, sort of.

Images of this individual: tag all
Psylloidea, Aphalaridae - Craspedolepta Psylloidea, Aphalaridae - Craspedolepta Psylloidea, Aphalaridae - Craspedolepta

Moved
Moved from Aphalarinae.

Moved
Moved from Psylloidea. Helyer, Cattlin & Brown's Biological Control in Plant Protection contains on p.108 a photo of a live Aphalara itadori nymph that looks (save for the color) practically identical to this one. That + plus Caldwell's figures + the Asteraceae host all suggest its membership in this family.

 
Thank you very much.
This individual was the first one I had ever seen. At least now I can recognize that they are indeed insects. In retrospect, how funny (or sad).

 
I remember
the first time I saw a Cottony-cushion scale, and the first time I saw a Fig Whitefly nymph - in both of those cases I didn't recognize them as insects either. Some of these plant-parasitic hemipterans are just plain bizarre looking.

Moved
Moved from Psyllidae.

9 species recorded from this host in our area
All in the genus Craspedolepta.

Comparison to the illustration in Caldwell 1938, while not perfect, suggests that your psyllid may very well be in that genus; illustrations or descriptions of the nymphs of the majority of the candidates don't exist, however.

 
.
Is this a nymph?
Thanks.

 
Yes
I moved it to superfamily since I'm not sure what family it belongs to yet (all Psyllids used to belong to Psyllidae so that was the default place for them on BG for a while). As mentioned above it may be Craspedolepta but I'm just not sure yet, hopefully we'll know soon.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

psyllid nymph
*

 
Antennae
Thanks V. The divided front of the head reminded me of a psyllid but those short antennae did not. However, "the number of antennal segments is variable and increases as development continues through 5 instars." (Stehr's "Immature Insects", Manya Stoetzel author). I know I won't be able to get them to adult hood.

 
they are very recognizable indeed -- the silhouette is unique
...and somewhat trilobity

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