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This page contains pictures and information about Jumping Plant Lice and Lerp Insects
in family Psyllidae that we
found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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 - Nymph body length 6mm
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- Psylloidea is a group of insects commonly known as Jumping Plant-lice and
Lerp Insects. The vast majority of Australian psylloids belong to the family Psyllidae.
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- They are sap-sucker and highly host specific. Adult psylloids resemble
tiny cicadas. They are from 1 to 10mm in body length. They have two pairs
of membranous wings held roof-like over the body. Their long antenna
is 7-10 segmented. Their legs are modified for jumping.
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 - Lerp
and Eggs
Larvae with lerp just
removed
Gall-inducer
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- The larvae of some species are free-living, some species are gall-inducers and some
others are lerp-forming.
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- Eggs are laid singly or in clusters on host plants. The eggs are laid on the surface of the leaves, and the first
instars, having emerged and found a suitable site to feed, settles down and begins to construct the lerp. There are five instars each of which adds to the lerp, The last instars moves out from under the lerp before the adult emerges.
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- Lerps insects are closely related with Scale
Insects. Like Scale Insects, they are sap suckers and often aggregate in
colonies. Lerp-insects appear to take the place of the Aphids
on Eucalypt and Acacia.
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- They insert their stylets, or mouthparts, into the plant and begin
feeding and constructing a lerp, the protection cover. Lerps are formed from the
sugar and wax excreted by the insects. Those materials harden on contact with air to
form the protection. Lerps vary in size, colour and shape. Each species has its own
characteristic. They can be cones, univalves, bivalves or fan shapes, white to
dark brown in colours. The species can be divided into several distinct groups solely on
those characters.
 Genus Glycaspis
- Glycaspis
is the largest genera in
family Psyllidae. Some Glycaspis sp. cause shallow pit galls.
Other (subgenus Synglycaspis) cause large vesiculate galls. All of them construct typical lerps and their host plants are
Eucalyptus. -
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 Genus
Spondyliaspis - This Lerps Insects form shell shaped scale protection. They
can be found on bottom side of Gum tree leaves. The lerp is uniformly brown in
colour. It is hemispherical in shape resemble a shell.-
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 Genus Hyalinaspis
- All species
in genus Hyalinaspis construct typical
clam-shell shape lerps and their host plants are
Eucalyptus. They construct a simple laminate lerp in bivalves shape.
Lerps may look similar in different species though it varies in shape and smoothness.-
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 Genus Acizzia
- Most
Acizzia species
are found on Acacia as host plant. Nymphs are free-living and can be
found on leaves or stems of host plants. -
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- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia - CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 449.
- 2. Family PSYLLIDAE - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
- 3. Psylloidea of South Australia - Morgan, F.D. ,Adelaide, South Australia, Government Printer, 1984.
- 4. Psyl'list - The World Psylloidea Database,
Ouvrard, D., searched on 1 October 2010.
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