Revision of a unique Australian leafhopper genus Stenopsoides Evans (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae: Macropsini).

The Australian genus Stenopsoides Evans (Idiocerinae: Macropsini) is revised. The type species, S. turneri Evans, is redescribed and three new species are added: S. newi Semeraro sp. nov., S. punctatus Semeraro sp. nov. and S. truncatus Semeraro sp. nov.. Species photographic plates, a distribution map and an illustrated key to the four species are provided. The possibility of parthenogenetic reproduction occuring in this genus is discussed.

A new name for Maiestas viraktamathi Fletcher and Dai, preoccupied by Maiestas viraktamathi Zahniser, McKamey and Dmitriev.

Fletcher and Dai (2018) described two new species of Maiestas Distant from Australia, one of which was named Maiestas viraktamathi. Unfortunately, this name has already been applied to a species by Zahniser et al. (2012).

Corrigendum: Phytoplasmas-The "Crouching Tiger" Threat of Australian Plant Pathology.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00599.].

Two new species of Maiestas Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Deltocephalini) with a new record from Australia.

Two new species of the genus Maiestas Distant are described and illustrated from Australia, M. barrowensis n. sp. and M. viraktamathi n. sp. In addition, Maiestas webbi Zhang Duan, previously known only from China, is recorded for the first time from Australia. A checklist of species from the Australian region and a key for their separation are provided.

A new genus Austrimonus for Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) and nine new species.

The new genus Austrimonus is created for Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy, previously in Hishimonus Ishihara, and the species redescribed as Austrimonus melaleucae (Kirkaldy), comb. nov. Nine new Australian species are added to the genus: A. apicalis sp. nov., A. biapicalis sp. nov., A. bidentatus sp. nov., A. clavatus sp. nov., A. curvatus sp. nov., A. flagellatus sp. nov., A. koebelei sp. nov., A. litorus sp. nov. and A. luteus sp. nov. A key for the determination of males of the species is provided.

Review of Chinese species of the leafhopper genus Amrasca Ghauri (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae), with description of a new species, species checklist and notes on the identity of the Indian cotton leafhopper.

The leafhopper genus Amrasca Ghauri from China is reviewed. Six species are included, of which three are reported for the first time from China. A new species, A. (Amrasca) complana Qin, Wang & Xu, sp. nov. is described based on specimens from south China. A complete checklist of the genus and an identification key to species in the Chinese fauna are provided. Jacobiasca curvata (Ahmed & Samad) comb. nov. is removed from Amrasca and A. (A.) singularis Einyu & Ahmed is treated as a species incertae sedis. Habitus photos of all Chinese Amrasca species and illustrations of male genitalia of the new species are also given. The male holotype specimen of Chlorita bimaculata Matsumura is here designated as the neotype of Empoasca biguttula Ishida to fix the identity of this economically important species and Sundapteryx Dworakowska is reinstated from synonymy as a subgenus of Amrasca. Thus, the correct scientific name of the Indian cotton leafhopper is Amrasca (Sundapteryx) biguttula (Ishida).

Phytoplasmas-The "Crouching Tiger" Threat of Australian Plant Pathology.

Phytoplasmas are insect-vectored bacteria that cause disease in a wide range of plant species. The increasing availability of molecular DNA analyses, expertise and additional methods in recent years has led to a proliferation of discoveries of phytoplasma-plant host associations and in the numbers of taxonomic groupings for phytoplasmas. The widespread use of common names based on the diseases with which they are associated, as well as separate phenetic and taxonomic systems for classifying phytoplasmas based on variation at the 16S rRNA-encoding gene, complicates interpretation of the literature. We explore this issue and related trends through a focus on Australian pathosystems, providing the first comprehensive compilation of information for this continent, covering the phytoplasmas, host plants, vectors and diseases. Of the 33 16Sr groups reported internationally, only groups I, II, III, X, XI and XII have been recorded in Australia and this highlights the need for ongoing biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of additional pathogen groups. Many of the phytoplasmas reported in Australia have not been sufficiently well studied to assign them to 16Sr groups so it is likely that unrecognized groups and sub-groups are present. Wide host plant ranges are apparent among well studied phytoplasmas, with multiple crop and non-crop species infected by some. Disease management is further complicated by the fact that putative vectors have been identified for few phytoplasmas, especially in Australia. Despite rapid progress in recent years using molecular approaches, phytoplasmas remain the least well studied group of plant pathogens, making them a "crouching tiger" disease threat.

Expanding and exploring the diversity of phytoplasmas from lucerne (Medicago sativa).

Phytoplasmas are a group of insect-vectored bacteria responsible for disease in many plant species worldwide. Among the crop species affected is the economically valuable forage species lucerne. Here we provide comprehensive molecular evidence for infection in multiple lucerne plants by a phytoplasma not previously known from this plant species. This phytoplasma had a >99% genetic similarity to an unclassified 16S rRNA subgroup previously reported as Stylosanthes little leaf from Stylosanthes spp. and was genetically and symptomatically distinct from a co-occurring but less common 16SrIIA group phytoplasma. Neighbour-joining analyses with publicly available sequence data confirmed the presence of two distinct phytoplasma lineages in the plant population. No PCR detections were made among 38 individuals of 12 co-occurring weed species. Sequence analysis revealed that all nine PCR detections from among 106 individuals of five Hemiptera insect species from the site, three of which had previously been reported as likely vectors, were false positives. This study demonstrates the importance of sequencing to complement PCR detection and avoid potentially inaccurate conclusions regarding vectors, highlights that sampling over a wide spatio-temporal scale is important for vector and alternative host studies, and extends to eight the number of phytoplasma 16 Sr groups known from lucerne.

Determining putative vectors of the Bogia Coconut Syndrome phytoplasma using loop-mediated isothermal amplification of single-insect feeding media.

Phytoplasmas are insect vectored mollicutes responsible for disease in many economically important crops. Determining which insect species are vectors of a given phytoplasma is important for managing disease but is methodologically challenging because disease-free plants need to be exposed to large numbers of insects, often over many months. A relatively new method to detect likely transmission involves molecular testing for phytoplasma DNA in sucrose solution that insects have fed upon. In this study we combined this feeding medium method with a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to study 627 insect specimens of 11 Hemiptera taxa sampled from sites in Papua New Guinea affected by Bogia coconut syndrome (BCS). The LAMP assay detected phytoplasma DNA from the feeding solution and head tissue of insects from six taxa belonging to four families: Derbidae, Lophopidae, Flatidae and Ricaniidae. Two other taxa yielded positives only from the heads and the remainder tested negative. These results demonstrate the utility of combining single-insect feeding medium tests with LAMP assays to identify putative vectors that can be the subject of transmission tests and to better understand phytoplasma pathosystems.

Reinstatement of Distantasca Dworakowska (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) as a valid genus with new species and new combinations.

Distantasca Dworakowska originally established as a genus but more recently has been treated as a subgenus of Empoasca Walsh. Here we reinstate Distantasca as a valid genus and provide a revised diagnosis. New combinations created are Distantasca atika (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca barawa (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca bulbosa (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca latava (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca latibasis (Zhang & Liu), n. comb., Distantasca paraterminalis (Qin & Zhang), n. comb., Distantasca riora (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca rokasa (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca serratipenis (Qin & Zhang), n. comb., Distantasca tiaca (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca tna (Dworakowska), n. comb., Distantasca tuberculata (Zhang & Liu), n. comb., all from Empoasca (Distantasca). Distantasca terminalis (Distant) and D. faciata Dworakowska are reinstated from Empoasca (Distantasca). Two new species, Distantasca longihamatilis Zhang & Liu and Distantasca ricina Zhang & Liu spp. nov. are described and illustrated. Empoasca (Empoasca) smithi Fletcher & Donaldson, 1992 is transferred into the genus as Distantasca smithi (Fletcher & Donaldson).

New species and records of Asymmetrasca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) from China and name changes in Empoasca (Matsumurasca).

Six new species of Asymmetrasca Dlabola are described from China: A. dahaituoensis, A. helica, A. hypercurvata, A. liaoensis, A. reflexilis, A. uncus spp. nov. In addition, A. cienka Dworakowska, 1982, n. comb.; A. decedens Paoli, 1932 and A. sakaii Dworakowska 1971, n. comb., are recorded from China for the first time. The following additional new combinations from Empoasca are also proposed: A. cisiana (Dworakowska, 1971); A. kaicola (Dworakowska, 1982), A. lutowa (Dworakowska, 1971), A. mona (Dworakowska, 1994), A. nipponica (Dworakowska 1982), A. rybiogon (Dworakowska, 1971), and A. uniprossicae (Sohi, 1977). Empoasca (Empoasca) kishtwarensis Sharma, 1984 is proposed as a new synonym of Asymmetrasca kaicola (Dworakowska, 1982). Habitus photos and illustrations of the male genitalia of the new species and a key to Chinese species are provided. New names are proposed to replace two junior homonyms in Empoasca (Matsumurasca).

First records of the genus Hishimonus Ishihara from Thailand (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) including description of three new species.

Seven species of Hishimonus Ishihara are recorded in Thailand, four of which were previously recorded from neighbouring countries and three new species described herein: Hishimonus pallidus sp. nov., H. diffractus sp. nov. and H. gillespiei sp. nov. The other four species are H. concavus Knight, previously known from the Philippines, H. subtilis Knight recorded from Singapore, H. aberrans Knight recorded from Taiwan and H. phycitis (Distant), which is widespread in Asia from the Middle East to China. These species are all newly recorded from Thailand and represent the first records of the genus Hishimonus in that country.

A review of the planthopper genus Armacia Stål (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Ricaniidae) with descriptions of four new species from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The genus Armacia Stål (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Ricaniidae) is reviewed taxonomically. Four new species of the genus are described and illustrated from West-Pacific region: A. madangensis sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea), A. rubilimba sp. nov. (Indonesia), A. spinae sp. nov. (Indonesia) and A. vigorata sp. nov. (Indonesia), A. albipes (Walker 1868), A. clara (Stål 1859), A. divisura (Walker 1868), A. fusca Melichar 1898, A. hyalinata (Donovan 1805), A. latipennis (Walker 1868), A. nigrifrons (Walker 1858), A. simaethis Fennah 1956 , and A. spatiosa (Walker 1868) are redescribed and illustrated. A checklist of all known species and a diagnosis of the genus are provided. A key to all species in the genus is provided.