Zootaxa 4722 (5): 443–462 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4722.5.3 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0183A47A-AA1E-4AAF-8802-54CB9CCDE58C First report of the lace bug Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) infesting cultivated olive trees in South Africa, and its complete mitochondrial sequence JETHRO LANGLEY1, MORGAN CORNWALL1, CHANTÉ POWELL1, CARLO COSTA2, ELLEUNORAH ALLSOPP3, SIMON VAN NOORT4,5, ERIC GUILBERT6 & BARBARA VAN ASCH1 1Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. 2Crop Development Division, Infruitec Campus, Agricultural Research Council, Private Bag X5013, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa. 3Agricultural Research Council, Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Private Bag X5026, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa. 4Research and Exhibitions Department, Iziko South African Museum, P.O. Box 61, Cape Town 8000, South Africa. 5Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. 6Département Adaptation du Vivant, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7179, CP50, 45 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France. Barbara van Asch -
[email protected] ABSTRACT Olive lace bugs are small phytophagous Hemipteran insects known to cause agricultural losses in olive production in South Africa. Plerochila australis (Distant, 1904) has been reported as the species responsible for damage to olive trees; however, the diversity of olive lace bug species in the region has lacked attention. Adult olive lace bugs were collected incidentally from wild and cultivated olive trees in the Western Cape Province, and identified as P. australis and Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981).