ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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The yellow cicaline of the vine (Zygina rhamni ) is a cycadellid rincote that performs nutrition bites on the lower page of the vine leaves causing the formation of white - silvery stains.

Geographical distribution
The yellow cicalina of the vine is widespread in Europe where its presence has been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, some areas of Turkey, France, Hungary, Italy, Yugoslavia and Switzerland. It is also present in many areas of the Near East.

Description
The young forms (neanids and nymphs) are white – yellowish with filiform antennas.
The adult measures 3 – 3.5 mm in length and has livery of yellow-ocra color (summer form) with reddish bands, more evident in males, on the chest and on the anterior wings (svernant shape).

Biological cycle
Zygina rhamni has an optional heteroid cycle as it winters as a fecundated female on secondary guests, in particular on rovi and roses, on which it lays eggs from January, then it is able to return on the primary guest, the vine, in the next spring (indicatively in May). On the vine the wintering females, along with the first-generation females, which developed during the spring on rovo and pink, ovidepose in the leafy ribs. After a period of incubation of about 15 days the young forms are born; the preimaginal development lasts on average 20 – 25 days. All the stages of the insect always remain on the lower page of the leaves, preferring the areas where the vegetation is thicker to puncture the cells of the foliar mesofillo by emptying them (plasmomiza feeding).
The yellow cicaline of the vine makes two further generations on lives whose adults appear in June and on horseback between July and August respectively. In the southern regions it is possible to have a third generation at the end of the summer. Regardless of the generation of belonging, adults who in the first part of the year showed a white perlaceous livery, starting from August begin to manifest the presence of reddish bands on the front wings and on the avancorpo (thorax and head) to testimony of the appearance of the wintering individuals. The latter begin to leave the vineyard, to take on secondary guest plants (rovi and roses) and temporary (querce, olmi, carpini, alders). Finally, since December all the population is concentrated exclusively on winter guests where the couplings take place. The wintering populations will be constituted almost exclusively by females.

Damage
The damage is caused by the nutrition bites performed (mostly by the youthful forms) on the leaves with the following appearance on the upper leaf page of silver white discolorations that later turn to yellow - reddish. Infestations are found to a greater extent on the already developed leaves and in case of strong infestations, can lead to