Cacopsylla fuscicella Sp. Nov. (Hemiptera, Psyllidae), a New Loquat Pest in China †

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cacopsylla, the most species-rich genus of Psyllidae, has around 500 known species worldwide. These insects are known for being host-specific, and some of them are regarded as important pests. Here, we described a new species, Cacopsylla fuscicella sp. nov., which develops on loquats. In addition, we sequenced its mitochondrial genome and used these data to construct a phylogenetic tree of Psyllidae, while also calculating the interspecific genetic distances. Using integrative taxonomy methods, we confirmed that the new species, Cacopsylla fuscicella sp. nov., should be grouped within genus Cacopsylla. ABSTRACT: Psylloidea, commonly known as jumping plant-lice, have a phloem-sucking habit and strong specificity to their host plants. Within the Psyllidae family, the genus Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson, 1970 stands out as being the most diverse, with three species feeding on the genus Eriobotrya Lindl. In this study, a new psyllid species, Cacopsylla fuscicella sp. nov., was described from China. It is a pest of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. and has been cultivated as a commercial fruit tree for years. Illustrations of habitus, morphological structures, and its damage to loquat were also provided. The complete mitochondrial genome of C. fuscicella sp. nov. was sequenced and annotated. The phylogenetic tree inferred from the maximum likelihood analyses confirmed C. fuscicella sp. nov. as a member of the genus Cacopsylla. Genetic distances were generated to assess comparative genetic distances within Psyllinae.