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Cacopsylla pyri (L.)
Psylla pyri

Insecta, Homoptera, Psyllidae .

European pear sucker

Description, Biology, Life Cycle, Damage, Common Names, Images

[R]Description
- Adult: resembling a small cicada with translucent wings (*) ; winter form dark in colour, 2.7-3 mm long, with sombre, transverse and narrow stripes on the abdomen; summer form smaller and paler; adults emit a perceptible sound when moving in large numbers.
- Egg: oblong; 0.3 mm x 0.1 mm; a small filament present at one of the tips; white after egg-laying but later pale yellow and then orange (*) ; eyes of future nymph forming 2 red lateral spots soon before hatching.

[R]Biology
- Host-plants: peach, more rarely apple and exceptionally quince.
- Adult: overwinters in orchards, on trees or any other support. Activity resumes in January and feeding and mating take place. Although capable of jumping, adults usually fly. Females lay clusters of 6-10 eggs, usually at the base of buds or along crevices. Females of the next generations lay their eggs on green organs, and later on flower peduncles, petioles and the surface of leaves. Number of eggs produced: 400-600.
- Egg: embryonic development lasts 6-25 days depending on temperature.
- Nymph: development occurs in 5 stages. The young nymph of the first generation penetrate inside the buds to feed. The last 2 stages occur on the calyx. The young nymphs of later generations live on the underside on leaves each within a droplet of honeydew (*) . After the 3rd moult, they spread to the petiole, young twigs or fruit peduncles and are still covered with considerable quantities of honeydew (*) ; nymphs settle on the foliage after the last moult.

[R]Life Cycle
- There are 4-6 generations per year depending on the region and crop conditions, individuals of the last generations emerging in September-October. Members of the 1st and 2nd generations are usually few; those of the 3rd generation occur in large numbers and may cause severe damage; populations spread to the foliage in autumn.

[R]Damage
- Nymphs and adults inbibe in vast quantities of sap, which causes an exhaustion of trees and crop losses.
- Honeydew provokes a scorching of the foliage, sooty moulds developing on it (*) . Severe attacks result in partial leaf fall during August.
- Aphid populations are sometimes naturally checked by predatory bugs which are very active when no treatment is undertaken.

[R]Common Names
DE: Gemeiner Birnblattsauger ES: Psila del peral FR: Psylle commun du poirier IT: Psilla dei peri PT: Psylla da pereira GB: European pear sucker

[R] Images

  1. Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Adult Feeding on the vein of a leaf of pear.
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  2. Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Winter eggs Laid on the underside of a leaf of pear.
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  3. Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Young nymphs A few yellow eggs as well as droplets of honeydew can be seen (arrowed).
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  4. Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Final-instar nymphs
  5. Cacopsylla pyri (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
    Indirect damage on pear Sooty moulds developed on the honeydew excreted by nymphs.
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