First urban occurrence of the Japanese grape leafhopper Arboridia kakogawana (Matsumura, 1932) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Italy

Abstract

The Japanese grape leafhopper Arboridia kakogawana (Matsumura, 1932) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) is an Eastern Palaearctic species feeding on Vitaceae. It has been expanding westwards across Europe since 1999. In 2024, it was first recorded in commercial vineyards in Piedmont, north-western Italy. On 25 June 2026, the insect was first detected in the city of Milan (Lombardy, northern Italy), in association with Vitis labrusca L. and Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., both heavily infested by Erasmoneura vulnerata (Fitch, 1851). Males of Arboridia sp. were identified as A. kakogawana based on male genitalia, and the identification was subsequently complemented by DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene. This report represents the first occurrence of A. kakogawana in an urban environment in Italy and is consistent with previous reports from other European countries, where the species has been detected in similar habitats, including private gardens and botanical collections.