Pest profile

Eugenia Psyllid

Trioza eugeniae · Hemiptera: Triozidae[3]

Eugenia psyllid distorts eugenia shoot tips and pits the leaves where each nymph settles to feed.[1]

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

How to identify it

  • Adults are mostly dark brown with a white band around the abdomen.[1]
  • Infested leaves develop a pit around each feeding nymph, and terminals become distorted.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Peppertree psyllidIt also causes pits where nymphs feed, but on pepper trees rather than eugenia.[1]

Where it lives

It's an introduced pest of eugenia (Syzygium paniculatum) in California, worst in spring in cooler coastal areas.[1]

US map: public records from 1 state since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Like other psyllids, it sucks plant juices and excretes honeydew on which black sooty mold grows.[1]

A tiny parasitic wasp, Tamarixia dahlsteni, attacks it and gives good control in warmer places.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Heavy populations reduce growth and distort or discolor new terminals.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UC IPM mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Yellow sticky traps checked weekly show when psyllids are rising.[1]

Traps and physical control

Well-timed shearing removes infested tips; leave clippings as mulch beneath the plants so parasites can emerge.[1]

Biological control

Conserve the parasitic wasp that partially controls this psyllid.[1]

More from the research literature

A 2020 study in the Bulletin of Entomological Research, using specimen comparisons and DNA barcoding, concluded that the psyllid known in Australia and the United States as the eugenia or lilly pilly psyllid, Trioza eugeniae, is actually a separate species, Trioza adventicia.[2]

Common questions

Why are my eugenia hedge leaves pitted and curled?
Eugenia psyllid nymphs cause a pit where each one feeds and distort new tips.[1]
Should I throw away eugenia clippings?
UC IPM suggests leaving sheared terminals as mulch below the hedge so parasites can emerge.[1]

Sources

  1. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Psyllids (Pest Notes).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/psyllids/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. Peer-reviewed literature (PubMed), “Case of mistaken identity: resolving the taxonomy between Trioza eugeniae Froggatt and T. adventicia Tuthill (Psylloidea: Triozidae) (Taylor GS et al., Bulletin of entomological research, 2020).” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31865924/ (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Trioza eugeniae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85405 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.