<i>Drosicha corpulenta</i> (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) in an Arid New City: Phenology, Host Suitability, and Spatial Distribution of Overwintering Eggs.

Abstract

<i>Drosicha corpulenta</i> (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is a major polyphagous pest affecting street and garden trees in arid regions of northern China, causing increasing damage in newly developed cities like Cocodala, Xinjiang. This study was conducted from 2024 to 2025 to investigate this pest's life cycle, key damage periods, and spatial distribution in seven host plants, focusing on nymph emergence, female soil entry, and overwintering egg distribution. The results show that <i>D. corpulenta</i> has one generation per year, which overwinters as eggs. Nymphs emerge in early March, and male pupation occurs from mid-April to early May. Females mate after the third molt in early to mid-May and enter the soil to lay eggs from late May to early June, with consistent timing over two years. The suitability of the host varied significantly: <i>Platanus × hispanica</i> was the most preferred, with the highest daily nymph emergence of 840.8 individuals in 2024 and 1196.0 in 2025, followed by <i>Prunus padus</i> and five other plant species (<i>Populus</i> spp., <i>Fraxinus chinensis</i>, <i>Styphnolobium japonicum</i>, <i>Pinus</i> spp., and <i>Malus spectabilis</i>). Female soil entry reached a maximum on 23 May (979.8 individuals^-1 day^-1) and gradually decreased with increasing distance from the trunk. Overwintering eggs showed no obvious azimuthal bias, but were mainly concentrated near the trunk (0-30 cm) and in shallow soil (0-10 cm; 179.8 eggs per 100 g composite soil sample per sampling point), decreasing sharply in number with distance and depth. Both Taylor's power law and Iwao's regression confirmed the aggregated distribution. This study identifies key phenological stages, highly susceptible hosts, and the near-trunk shallow soil layer as critical for oviposition and overwintering and provides a basis for precise monitoring and targeted control in urban green spaces.