The Distribution of Psyllids (Homoptera: Psylloidea) in Arctic and Subarctic Alaska

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Abstract
Psyllids, small, phloem-feeding insects, were collected from the vegetation at 23 sites along a transect across arctic and subarctic Alaska, from the arctic coast at Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks [Psylla spp. and Trioza spp.]. Psyllid species (17) were collected from willows (Salix spp.); 9 additional species were collected from other host plants. The Salix-feeding psyllids extend nearly to the arctic coast, and are as rich in species in arctic as in subarctic Alaska. The richness of psyllid species on other host plants increases from the arctic to the subarctic portions of the transect, and increases further in Alaska south of the transect. Holarctic and Amphi-Beringean species dominate the psyllid fauna of the arctic; Nearctic species dominate the subarctic and more southerly areas. Comparable distribution patterns are seen in the psyllid fauna of Fennoscandia.