Pediopsoides sharmai, an Indian leafhopper found in Europe
Pediopsoides sharmai

Pediopsoides sharmai, an Indian leafhopper found in Europe

Since 2020, photos of a strange Macropsini species have been uploaded to the citizen science platform Waarneming.nl. Finally, in 2023, specimens were collected and could be linked to a host plant: walnut Juglans regia. The species was tentatively identified as Pediopsoides sharmai, which was later confirmed by the author of that species, C.A. Viraktamath. 

The leafhopper Pediopsoides sharmai was described by C.A. Viraktamath in 1981 from northern India. The type specimens, 2 males, were collected from a light trap, and thus no ecological information was available at the time of description. Since 1981, the species has never been seen again. This changed on the 9th of July 2020, when the Dutch citizen scientist K. Boele photographed and collected a strange Macropsini from a light trap in his garden. The female specimen was sent to Dutch Auchenorrhyncha expert M. de Haas. A quick literature study on European Macropsini failed to get a name for the specimen, and the specimen remained unnamed in the collection. 

This changed in 2023, when the study of photos of Auchenorrhyncha on citizen science portals from the Netherlands and Belgium resulted in several observations of the strange Macropsini species from both countries. Since all observations were made on light traps or artificial structures, there was no knowledge of a potential host plant and collecting efforts in areas where specimens were photographed all failed. After a study on global literature on Macropsini, the single collected could finally be identified as belonging to Pediopsoides, the striking colouration resembled Pediopsoides sharmai. Shortly after this tentative identification, specimens were photographed on Juglans regia and targeted sweeping of Juglans in central and southern parts of the Netherlands easily resulted in many specimens. The final identification was done by C.A. Viraktamath based on specimens sent to him and comparison with the holotype. 

In 2024, the species was once found in Germany, very close to the Dutch border. Surprisingly, a population was found in Dornbirn (Austria) during the 30th Central European Auchenorrhyncha Meeting. In September, specimens were collected south of the Alps in Graz. It is noteworthy that there is a large gap between the observations from the Netherlands/Belgium and Austria. It is unknown if this is the result of a collecting bias or if several disjunct populations of this species are present in Europe.

References
  • De Haas, M.C., Den Bieman, C.F.M., Viraktamath, C.A., Lind, E., Kunz, G. & Holzinger, W.E. 2024. The Indian leafhopper Pediopsoides sharmai discovered in Europe (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Eurymelinae: Macropsini). Entomologische Berichten 84(6): 235-241.
  • Viraktamath, C.A. 1981. Indian Macropsinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). II. Species described by W.L. Distant and descriptions of new species from the Indian subcontinent. Entomologica Scandinavica 12: 295-310.

By Marco de Haas

Updated 1 June 2025 21:06 GTM