First records of Macropsis fumipennis (Gillette & Baker, 1895) in Europe, and of Tautoneura polymitusa (Oh & Jung, 2016) and Latilica maculipes (Melichar, 1906) in Germany (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae et Issidae)

Abstract

In den letzten fünf Jahren gelangen im Stadtgebiet von Berlin drei Zikaden-Neufunde für Deutschland, von denen einer sogar einen Neufund für Europa darstellt. In allen drei Fällen handelte es ich um Neozoen. Macropsis fumipennis (Gillette & Baker, 1895), die Gleditschien-Maskenzikade, stammt aus Nordamerika und lebt monophag an der ebenfalls ursprünglich dort heimischen Amerikanischen Gleditschie. Tautoneura polymitusa Oh & Jung, 2016, die Koreanische Ulmenblattzikade, stammt aus Ostasien und lebt an kultivierten Ulmen. Latilica maculipes (Melichar, 1906), die Maskenkäferzikade, stammt aus dem Mittelmeergebiet und lebt polyphag an verschiedenen Sträuchern. Diese drei Funde unterstreichen die aufkommende Bedeutung der Citizen-Science-Foren für die entomologische Dokumentation, wodurch maßgeblich das öffentliche Interesse an der Entomologie gesteigert wird. Zusammen mit der immer besser und preiswerter werdenden fotografischen Optik tragen diese Foren auch dazu bei, dass bisher wenig beachteten äußeren Merkmalen auch kleiner Insektenarten mehr Aufmerksamkeit gewährt wird und diese stärker für die Artbestimmung genutzt und optimiert werden.

In the past five years, three Auchenorrhyncha species new to Germany have been discovered in Berlin’s urban area, one of them also being new to Europe. All three species are neozoa. In 2023, the Nearctic leafhopper Macropsis fumipennis (Gillette & Baker, 1895) was recorded for the first time in Europe and is currently known only from a small area in Berlin. It originates from North America and is monophagous on the American honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos). A first photographic record of the East Palearctic Tautoneura polymitusa Oh & Jung, 2016 was published in 2020, and specimens were collected in 2023. In Germany, the species has so far been found only in Berlin, but it is likely more widespread, occurring on Ulmus pumila and perhaps other elm species or hybrids. It originates from East Asia and is associated with cultivated elm trees. The Western Palearctic, polyphagous Latilica maculipes (Melichar, 1906), previously known from the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, was first recorded in Germany in 2024. In Berlin it has so far been found in only one park, but additional records from Rheinland-Pfalz and Baden-Württemberg have been reported. Latilica maculipes originates from the Mediterranean region and feeds polyphagously on various cultivated shrubs. These findings highlight the importance of urban areas as entry points and expansion hubs for thermophilic insects. They also demonstrate the growing role of citizen science platforms, which, together with increasingly accessible high-quality photographic equipment, are substantially improving the detection and documentation. They also draw greater attention to external insect characteristics and their importance for species identification.