Composition, Abundance, and Richness of Cicadellidae (Insecta: Hemiptera) at a College Campus in the Bogotá Savanna, Colombia

Abstract

Despite their importance as disease vectors, there is limited information on the biology and ecology of leafhoppers in Colombia. Therefore, the present study assesses Cicadellidae composition, abundance, and richness at the Military Nueva Granada University (UMNG) campus in Cajicá, Cundinamarca (Colombia), which is located within an exurban rural area. For these purposes, linear insect sweeps were conducted in rectangular fields, 50 meters in length and 2 meters in width, in the following three different areas: short grasslands, tall grasslands, and the Bogotá river bend. Sampling was performed between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm for three weeks between March 2015 and April 2015. The insects were collected using an entomological net and preserved in 70% ethanol. At completion, a total of 2399 individuals had been captured, with Amplicephalus funzaensis and Exitianus atratus being the most abundant species. The composition similarities among the three zones exceeded by 40%, with the greatest similarity recorded between the tall grasslands and the river bend. However, no relationship was found between the number of Cicadellidae species and the number of plant species. In addition, the areas that exhibited the lower species richness were the short grasslands. In fact, the data suggests that frequent grass cutting affects the structure of the Cicadellidae community and increases the abundance of phytoplasmic vectors. Hence, the results provide an approximation of leafhopper composition, abundance, and richness at the UMNG campus, and offers suggestions on how to manage campus traits based on this information.