Reassessment of Turkish records and integrative confirmation of Balclutha incisa (Matsumura, 1902) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) based on morphology and COI barcoding

Abstract

Balclutha incisa (Matsumura, 1902) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Macrostelini) is a widespread grass-associated leafhopper that can become locally abundant in agroecosystems and has attracted attention in plant health studies because experimental transmission to carrot has been reported under controlled conditions and phytoplasma associations have been documented in field-collected individuals from diseased crops. The occurrence of this species in Türkiye has a complex nomenclatural history because earlier Turkish records were published under names that are now considered synonyms or require clarification in light of current taxonomy, including B. hortensis and B. hebe. Here, we provide a modern integrative confirmation of B. incisa from Türkiye based on specimens collected in Hatay Province, Eastern Mediterranean Region, from carrot (Daucus carota L.) fields in Kırıkhan and Kumlu districts and a maize (Zea mays L.) field in Reyhanlı District. Species identity was established using diagnostic morphology, with emphasis on male genital structures; the Turkish material conforms to the diagnostic concept of B. incisa, including an aedeagus bearing multiple paired processes on the shaft. Molecular confirmation was obtained by sequencing the standard mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode region, approximately 692 bp. A representative Turkish sequence was deposited in GenBank under the accession number PX844755 and showed ≥99% similarity to published B. incisa sequences. COI-based phylogenetic analysis using the Maximum Likelihood method recovered the Turkish haplotype within the B. incisa clade with strong bootstrap support, corroborating the morphological diagnosis. This study clarifies the status of B. incisa in the Turkish fauna and provides the first COI barcode reference for Turkish material.