Genus Scolypopa Stål
Scolypopa australis (Walker)
Scolypopa kurandae Kirkaldy
Genus Scolypopa Stål 1859a: 325
Type species: Pochazia australis Walker 1851, by
subsequent designation of Jacobi 1916
Known species: Five species are known from eastern Australia. Of these, S. australis has spread to NZ and Fiji. Two additional species from India and Pakistan, originally described in Privesa, were included in the genus by Melichar (1923) but their true affinities need to be checked.
Notes: Scolypopa australis,
known as the passionvine hopper, is one of the most familiar planthoppers in eastern
Australia. In sheltered places, it can build up into very high numbers producing large
quantities of honeydew which coat the stems and leaves of the bushes on which it feeds. It
has been accidentally introduced into New Zealand where it is regarded as a serious pest
of kiwifruit plantations because of the sooty moulds which develop on the fruit covered in
honeydew. The species has also been introduced into Fiji. It has a wide host range on both
native and exotic plants in Australia. Details of the life stages were provided by
Fletcher (1979b) and
on egglaying behaviour by Fletcher (1979a).
The other Australian species of the genus display different patterns on
the tegmen but the pattern found in S. australis can also be found in species in
other genera, e.g. Piromis translucida (Montrouzier)
from Vanuatu.
