Poblicia fuliginosa

Poblicia fuliginosa is a planthopper native to the United States, described by Guillaume-Antoine Olivier in 1791.^[2] The generic placement of the species is disputed. One author in 1954 placed it into the genus Crepusia but this has not generally been accepted;^[2][1] a 2023 review rejected this placement although they note that the genus Poblicia needs further study of its proper constituency.^[3]

Poblicia fuliginosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Auchenorrhyncha
Infraorder:	Fulgoromorpha
Family:	Fulgoridae
Genus:	Poblicia
Species:	P. fuliginosa
Binomial name
Poblicia fuliginosa (Olivier, 1791)
Synonyms[1]
Fulgora fuliginosa Olivier, 1791 Poblicia thanatophana Kirkaldy, 1907 Poiocera cribrata Gerstaecker, 1860 Poiocera venosa Walker, 1851

Description

Poblicia fuliginosa is mostly dark in color, with small white specks on the wings. The head is short and broad.^[4] The eyes do not exceed the width of the closed forewings.^[2] The thorax and anterior abdominal segments are black, while the posterior abdominal segments are red. Adults are 8–17 mm (0.31–0.67 in) long.^[4]

Host associations and life cycle

In the eastern United States, Poblicia fuliginosa mostly feeds on sumac (Rhus) species, especially the winged sumac (Rhus copallinum.) The species has also been recorded feeding on red maple (Acer rubrum), though this may not be a usual host.^[2] In the western United states, the species feeds on Baccharis salicifolia and Brickellia.^[2]

P. fuliginosa

Poblicia fuliginosa is hemimetabolous, meaning that it has several nymphal stages before molting into an adult. The eggs are covered with white, creamy wax.^[2]