An offseason reservoir of Virginia creeper leafhopper (Erythroneura ziczac) is an alternate host of grapevine red-blotch-associated virus in California vineyards

The Virginia Creeper Leafhopper is an invasive pest of grapevines in California.  Recently a new virus has been discovered in wine grapes in North America called Grapevine red-blotch associated virus (GRBaV).  It has been suggested that Virginia Creeper Leafopper is a potential vector of this virus and due to the impact of the wine industry in California to the national and local economy, identifying a vector prevalent or invasive in California is crucial to the sustainability of the wine industry.  Local vineyards were selected due to presence of GRBaV and were surveyed for leafhoppers, tested for virus, and searched for overwintering hosts for both the leafhoppers as well as potential virus reservoirs.  Our results indicate an invasive weed host is a resevoir of both the virus and the leafhopper.