38 HOMOPTERA 



HOSTS 



The Membmcida seem to be very excellent botanists and in most cases confine themselves to 

 very definite host plants both for feeding and for oviposition. In many cases the association between 

 the membracid and the host is so characteristic that a knowledge of one is sufficient for recognition of 

 the other. In fact in some cases a species not only confines itself to a single host but is the only 

 species ever found on that host. As a resuU, a considerable number of species have received such 

 names as qiierci, castaiiea, cratagi, ampelofrsidis, etc, to indicate such habitats. 



The host plants of the Membracida in the United States are fairly well known since many writers 

 have included such Usts in their reports. Goding (iSgSa), Branch (igiS) and Van Duzee (igoSa) have 

 pubhshed extended lists of host plants; economic papers by Hodgekiss (1910), Wildermuth (igiS) and 

 others, include detailed accounts of hosts; and Hfe history studies by Matausch (1910-12) and Funk- 

 houser (igiSb, c and d) have discussed the hosts of particular species. The writer (1917) tabulated 

 all the hosts known at that time for North American species. In North America the host plants may 

 be divided into four rather well defined groups of plants. The most important of these groups is 

 represented by the Amentiferas, including such nut-bearing trees as oak, hickory, butternut, chestnut, 

 beech and hazelnut; of hardly less importance are the legumes of which locust, sweet clover, alfalfa 

 and red clover are favorite hosts for many species; the Rosaceae in general, but particularly apple, 

 pear, berries, and cuhivated roses represent the third group; while the fourth includes a large number 

 of succulent composites such as annual asters. sunflower, daisy, joe-pye weed and thistle. Practically 

 every plant that has been recorded as a host for any species of Membracida; in the United States may be 

 included in one of these four groups. 



The records of host plants of the tropical Membracida. on the other hand, are very meager, partiy 

 because the describers of new species neglected to note or mention the hosts, and partly because, as 

 has been the experience of the writer in many regions {e.g. Sumatra), the local botanists and foresters 

 were unable to identify the plants concerned. However, the more recent tropical collectors, among 

 whoin should be mentioned such excellent entomoiogists as H. S. Pruthi of India, H. M. Pendlebury 

 of the Malay States, W. E. Hoffmann of China. M. A. Lieftinck of Java, G. van Son of South Africa, 

 J. P. da Fonseca of Brazil and C. C. Plummer of Mexico, are now keeping careful field records and 

 their contribution to the knowledge of this subject is rapidly increasing the data on the tropical and 

 subtropical species. Even so, it is not yet possible to give any definite groupings for such host plants 

 although certain particular hosts, such as species of Teak, Talauma, Cinnamon, Ficus, Magnolia, 

 Butea, Gossampinus, Acacia, Dalbergia and Vitex have been reported from the East Indies, Teak, 

 Sandai, Cedrus and Micheha from India, Acalipha, Blumea, Semecarpus. Maholus, Hibiscus, Sola- 

 num, Eugenia, Phyllantus and Croton from the Philippines. and Boccharis, Cassia, Belaria, Wild Fig, 

 Bucida, Vismia, Tachigalia, various legumes and cultivated tobacco in South America. 



It is kiiown that certain species having a wide geographical distribution shift from one host to 

 another in different localities. Thus in the United States Carynota mera, common on pecan iii the south 

 is found on hickory in the north where the pecan does not grow. In other cases a species seems to 

 deliberately change its host even though an appareiitly more constant host is abundant. Thus Enchenopa 

 binotata which has a wide range over practically all of North America and is generally found on the hop 

 tree (Ptelea trifoliata L.) is in some areas found onlj- on the locust or on the butternut, even though 

 there are plenty of hop trees in the immediate vicinity. 



