El exótico delfácido Leptodelphax maculigera (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) en Argentina: taxonomía y aspectos biológicos

Leptodelphax maculigera (Stål) is reported for the firsttime in Argentina. It is native to the Afrotropical region and recentlyrecorded in America in corn-growing areas in Brazil as a potential vector of“corn stunt” complex pathogens. Specimens have been periodically collectedsince July 2024 on several cereals and forage crops at the commercial andexperimental fields of the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA).Complementary morphological characters that distinguish adults of both sexesare described and illustrated, and the anatomical features of the fifth-instarnymphs are detailed to provide taxonomic elements that allow differentiating itfrom other species of delphacids present in the Argentine cereal region. Aslender body with pale coloration and a facial black spot between the frons andclypeus, along with the distinctive male and female genitalia, as well as theyellowish whitish coloration with the black facial spot located medially onfrons of the fifth-instar nymphs, are features distinctive for both stages. Thedistribution range in Argentina marks the southernmost known limit of thegenus. Preliminary field observations underscore the significance of Setaria sphacelata (Schumach.) as apreferred host while identifying Chloris gayana Kunth and Avena sativa L. as new hosts.