Feeding behavior and spatial distribution of two planthoppers, Megamelus scutellaris (Delphacidae) and Taosa longula (Dictyopharidae), on water hyacinth

Abstract Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Delphacidae) and Taosa (Cuernavaca) longula Remes Lenicov (Dictyopharidae) are specialist planthoppers that feed and reproduce on the invasive aquatic weed, Eichhornia crassipes (Martius) Solms-Laubach (Pontederiaceae). They overlap geographically in several regions of South America and may, therefore, interact and compete for food and microhabitat. Preliminary observations indicated that both species do not feed on the same part of the plant. We hypothesized that they partition the resource; hence, we studied (1) the feeding mechanism at the tissue level and (2) the spatial distribution of both species on the water hyacinth plant. Salivary sheaths were detected through histological sections of plant tissues using light microscopy. The location of either planthopper species on the plant was recorded when in the presence or absence of the other species. Both species produced true salivary sheaths, mostly branched (M. scutellaris: 82%; T. longula: 84%), ending in phloem ...