We quantified suitability of an invasive weed Myrica faya and a dominant native tree Metrosideros polymorpha as ovipositional hosts for an exotic polyphagous leafhopper Sophonia rufofascia. Overall, leafhoppers preferred to deposit their eggs into the foliage of M. faya. Foliar pubescence provided good protection of hirsute morphotypes of M. polymorpha, regardless of M. faya presence in the area. At the same time, glabrous M. polymorpha morphotypes were quite suitable for leafhopper oviposition. Our results confirm that invasion of the native Hawaiian forests by M. faya will also aid their invasion by S. rufofascia. Furthermore, leafhopper damage might represent a new selection force favoring hirsute M. polymorpha morphotypes over glabrous morphotypes, altering vegetational succession on Hawaiian lava flows.
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA