Description
Passionvine hoppers are brown, oval shaped insects with partially transparent wings. Adults grow between 5 and 10 millimetres long. Nymphs are wingless and grow to about 5 millimetres long and are commonly known as fluffy bums. When disturbed, passionvine hoppers will hop off a plant with a snapping sound. They are sap-sucking insects which can be found on a broad range of plant species and will often be found in large numbers on stems and shoots of plants.
Common native plant hosts
| Scientific names | Māori/common names |
|---|---|
| splenium spp., Blechnum spp.,Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp. | Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekī, whekī, ponga, pikopiko, kiokio |
| Clianthus | Kākābeak |
| Cordyline spp. | Tī kōuka, cabbage tree, tī |
| Phormium tenax, Phormium cookianum | Flax, harakeke, wharariki, korari, swamp flax, mountain flax |
| Pittosporum spp. | Karo, tarata, lemonwood, kohukohu, black matipo,kōhūhū |
| Pseudopanax ferox, Pseudopanax crassifolius | Lancewood, horoeka, fierce lancewood, savage, lancewood |
| Sophora spp. | Kōwhai |
| Veronica spp. | Hebe |
Scientific names
splenium spp., Blechnum spp.,Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp.
Māori/common names
Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekī, whekī, ponga, pikopiko, kiokio
Scientific names
Clianthus
Māori/common names
Kākābeak
Scientific names
Cordyline spp.
Māori/common names
Tī kōuka, cabbage tree, tī
Scientific names
Phormium tenax, Phormium cookianum
Māori/common names
Flax, harakeke, wharariki, korari, swamp flax, mountain flax
Scientific names
Pittosporum spp.
Māori/common names
Karo, tarata, lemonwood, kohukohu, black matipo,kōhūhū
Scientific names
Pseudopanax ferox, Pseudopanax crassifolius
Māori/common names
Lancewood, horoeka, fierce lancewood, savage, lancewood
Scientific names
Sophora spp.
Māori/common names
Kōwhai
Scientific names
Veronica spp.
Māori/common names
Hebe
Symptoms and damage
- damage to young leaves
- egg laying can cause damage to soft plant growth, particularly young stems and leaf veins
- sooty mould due to secretion of honeydew
- wilt to new shoots
- possibly a vector of cabbage tree sudden decline and bacterial phytoplasma disease in phormiums.
Prevention and control tips
Chemical insecticides.
Image details
Photo by Caiden B – some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)