Genista aucheri as a newly recorded host of Livilla horvathi (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) in turkey: Faunistic and ecological ımplication

Abstract

This study reports Genista aucheri (Boiss.) as a new host plant for Livilla horvathi (Scott, 1879) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and records the species for the first time in Erzincan Province, Turkey. L. horvathi is a small jumping plant louse with a broad distribution across Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, and Mongolia. Previously, its only known host plant was Alnus alnobetula. Field surveys in July 2025 in Kemaliye, Erzincan, revealed numerous individuals feeding on G. aucheri, locally known as “broom plant,” in mountain plateau slopes. This discovery expands the known host range and offers new baseline data for future research on the species. Specimens were collected using sweeping nets and hand aspirators, with precise geographic coordinates and collection details documented.