olivina (Costa, 1839)

Percy, Diana M., Rung, Alessandra & Hoddle, Mark S., 2012, An annotated checklist of the psyllids of California (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), Zootaxa 3193, pp. 1-27 : 17

olivina (Costa, 1839)

Type locality: Europe.

Additional distribution: Western Mediterranean, including North Africa. Introduced in USA.

Host plant: Olea spp., but alternate hosts in California may include Elaeagnus angustifolia , and Phillyrea latifolia ( UC Riverside, CISR).

Remarks: This species is a pest of olive trees in its native range in the Mediterranean and North Africa, and was first recorded in California in 2007 ( Gill & Watson 2007). The olive psyllid aestivates during the hottest summer months resuming feeding activity after the first autumn rains. There are usually three generations per year; the second generation, around May, is associated with the flowering shoots and flower buds and may cause many flowers to abort. Large populations may retard growth of young trees. ( Hodkinson 1986; Burckhardt 1989; Ksantini et al. 2002); common name: olive psyllid.

Parasitoids and Predators: Apocharips eleaphila (Silvestri) , probably as a hyperparasitoid, and Psyllaephagus euphyllurae (Masi) . These cynipoid and encyrtid parasitoids were recorded parasitizing olive psyllid in Europe in 1951 and 1911. Other potential predators of E. olivina are Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (lacewing, Neuroptera ) and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (coccinellid beetle, Coleoptera ) ( UC Riverside, CISR).