Casuarina Spittlebug, Clastoptera undulata Uhler

Clastoptera is a New World genus: Metcalf (1962) listed 83 species, of which 32 were Neotropical, 27 Nearctic, 20 Caribbean, and 4 from 2 or more regions; more species since described. Clastoptera as crop pests: C. theobromae Williams on cocoa in Panama and Costa Rica (Williams 1923); C. sp. near dimidiata Fowler on coffee in Puerto Rico (Bennett & Hughes 1963). Several species attack Australian pine, Casuarina equisetifolia L., e.g. Clastoptera sp. in Trinidad; C. sp. near dimidiata in Puerto Rico; C. undulata in Cuba, Bermuda, and Florida; C. flavidorsa Metcalf & Bruner in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Since C. equisetifolia is an exotic tree introduced into the Neotropics from Australia, the various species of Clastoptera which attack it have transferred from other plants. First report on C. undulata in U.S. was based on specimens from Fisher Island, Miami Beach, Florida in 1953-54; damage to host plants was negligible but adults caused a nuisance by crawling on people and invading offices, homes and automobiles (Porter 1955).