[ID] Psyllid + exuvium?

Jason Green · #1 (**permalink**) 30-10-2009, 05:22 PM

Hi all,

I found this on an Ash tree leaf this morning...

30/10/2009

Triozidae?

Also, are these Scale Insects/coccidae of some description, or homoptera exuvium?

30/10/2009

About 2mm each...

I find studying the leaves of fallen trees for insects is quite fascinating - you get to see different insects that are maybe arboreal which you don't always see otherwise...

Thanks for reading

Take care,

Jason

Acutipuerilis · #2 (**permalink**) 30-10-2009, 07:13 PM

Hi Jason,
The psyllid is Trioza urticae - they often overwinter on conifers, but obviously your ash is still green enough to be a stop-gap!

The exuviae are certainly homopteran, but I'm not honestly sure whether it's an early instar of a Psyllopsis sp., or something like a scale - they all get horribly similar after a while! My hunch is the latter, though - the outline just doesn't seem quite right for psyllid nymph, even though they do have marginal "spines".

Joe

Jason Green · #3 (**permalink**) 30-10-2009, 07:21 PM

Afternoon Joe,

Ah... yes. I should have recognised it having seen it before! So it has left the dying/end of season Nettles which is the usual foodplant and headed for say Conifers, but found found the Ash tree en-route?

Acutipuerilis · #4 (**permalink**) 30-10-2009, 07:43 PM

Pretty much, yep. I think they probably head upwards towards anything green after the nettles die off, and in a week or two they'll have to do the same again. Eventually it's only conifers left!

I'm not sure if they ever lurk in low vegetation around now, but I've not seen them there over winter - perhaps by heading to the branches they avoid the worst of the snow.