The sharpshooters of the families Cicadellidae and Cercopidae are vectors of Xylella fastidiosa (Wells), which causes citrus variegated chlorosis. This disease causes severe damage to the Paraná citrus industry, and it has been studied in Brazil since 1987, when it was discovered for the first time in the area of Colina, SP. The vectors transmit X. fastidiosa when they feed on the xylem sap, where the bacteria settles, obstructing the passage of the sap. This work had the objective of evaluating the occurrence of the vector sharpshooter Dilobopterus costalimai and Acrogonia citrina in a commercial citrus orchard during the period between July 2004 and August 2006. The experiment was accomplished in the Laranjeiras I farm, in the city of Nova Esperança, northwestern Paraná. The collections were undertaken monthly, and yellow stick traps (Biocontrole®) was used as a sampling method in Folha murcha, Valência, Pêra and Natal oranges trees [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck]. In Pêra and Valência trees, the most often captured sharpshooter was Dilobopterus costalimai. The months of higher occurrence of these species were between December and May of each year.
Cicadellidae; Citrus sinensis; Xylella fastidiosa; citrus variegated chlorosis