Ag. Wheeler, CRASPEDOLEPTA EAS - DISTRIBUTION, HOSTS, AND HABITS OF A PHLOX SPECIALIST (HOMOPTERA, PSYLLOIDEA, APHALARIDAE), Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 96(1), 1994, pp. 91-97
Craspedolepta eas (McAtee), a psyllid known previously from Maryland a
nd unrecorded since its description in 1918, is newly reported from Il
linois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, and an ad
ditional Maryland record is given. Phlox divaricata, P. stolonifera, a
nd P. subulata are cited as the first host plant records of C. eas and
the first members of the Polemoniaceae to serve as hosts of a Nearcti
c psylloid. This early-season, univoltine species is sometimes common
on P. subulata in shale barrens and on shale outcrops, developing on h
ost stems at or near ground level. Nymphs overwinter at the base of ph
lox plants, adults begin to appear by early to mid-April, and they usu
ally are present only until mid- to late May. Recognition features and
a photograph of the adult are presented.