Small brown planthopper - Laodelphax striatellus
Effective: January 1, 2019
Taxonomic Position: Hemiptera : Delphacidae
Pest Type: Insects
Pest Code (NAPIS): IRAJASA
This pest is a member of the following surveys: Corn, Small Grains
These Approved Methods are appropriate for: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
Pest Information
CAPS Pest Datasheet: https://download.ceris.purdue.edu/file/3628
Pest Tracker: https://pesttracker.org/pest/IRAJASA
Hosts Identified in the CAPS Host Matrix:
Barley; Corn; Oat; Rice; Wheat
Human and Animal Pathogens Transmitted:
Not known to transmit any human or animal pathogens.
Pest Pathogens and Organisms Vectored:
Not known to vector any pathogens or other associated organisms.
Survey

Approved Method(s)
Method Detail NAPIS Survey Method
Specimen Collection Sample Sweep netting 3013 - General Specimen Collection Sample
Trap 43 - Sticky Card, Yellow 3001 - General Trapping Procedure
Method Notes:
2/8/2022: Specimens degrade quickly in hot and humid summers, making identification challenging.

The Stationary Suction Trap is approved for negative data reporting from Florida only.

Sweep netting and yellow sticky card traps are approved for all states.

To allow for easier extraction from the trap surface, use sticky card traps with hot melt adhesives.

Approved Lure(s)
NAPIS Code Product Dispenser Effectiveness Compound(s)
0 No Lure N/A undetermined
Lure Notes:
No lure is required when placing sticky traps for this pest. The NAPIS code for no lure is 0 and should automatically populate in the NAPIS spreadsheet.

Survey Recommendations
The following are recommendations for executing the survey using the approved methods for pest surveillance. The recommendations are developed through literature review and consultation with subject matter experts.
Signs:
No specific signs are present.
Key Diagnostic or Identification

Approved Method(s)
ID/Diagnostic:
Morphological. Laodelphax striatellus can be distinguished from other delphacids present in the United States using a combination of three key characters found on the adult male (Wilson and Claridge, 1991):

  • pterostigma on the forewing (present and distinct)

  • mesonotum (black and shiny)

  • aedeagus and parameres of the genitalia


Dissection of male genitalia is required for identification. Any suspect positive samples must be confirmed by a taxonomic expert for definitive identification.

For additional guidance, see the keys and images in Wilson and Claridge (1991) and the images on the Laodelphax page on the Planthoppers of North America website (Bartlett, 2018). See CPHST Pest datasheet for references and website URL.
Mistaken Identities:
Other delphacids in the United States that infest rice include Tagosodes orizicolus and Metadelphax propinquus (Cherry et al., 1986). Tagosodes orizicolus also transmits Rice hoja blanca virus (Morales and Niessen, 1985). On corn, the planthopper Peregrinus maidis is found in the U.S. and transmits Maize mosaic virus (MMV) (Manandhar and Wright, 2016). Sogatella kolophon is also found on barley and corn (Wilson, 2005; Bartlett, 2018). Javesella pellucida, another delphacid that is present in the U.S., is found in wheat, barley, and corn (Bartlett, 2018). Javesella pellucida is also a vector of Oat sterile dwarf virus (OSDV), European wheat striate mosaic virus (EWSMV), and Maize rough dwarf virus (MRDV) (Bartlett, 2018). See CPHST Pest datasheet for references.
References

If you are unable to find a reference, contact STCAPS@usda.gov. See the CAPS Pest Datasheet for all references.