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Significance: This case report discusses a case of suspected occult macular dystrophy, which is an underrecognized but not rare subtype of cone dystrophy. Increasing clinician recognition of occult macular dystrophy will lead to increased accurate diagnosis of affected patients., Purpose: A clinical presentation and diagnosis of a case of suspected occult macular dystrophy, as well as background information and management, are reported., Case Report: A 44-year-old White man reported long-standing decreased vision and photophobia in both eyes. Examination revealed a bilateral reduction in best-corrected visual acuity, abnormal color vision, central visual field defects, and subtle disruption of subfoveal photoreceptor integrity on optical coherence tomography with a normal fundus appearance. The multifocal electroretinogram showed decreased perifoveal responses, whereas both the photopic and scotopic full-field electroretinograms were normal. This distinctive electroretinogram response pattern was critical in the diagnosis of occult macular dystrophy., Conclusions: Reduced visual acuity with a normal clinical examination result is commonly encountered in patients with occult macular dystrophy. Therefore, clinicians must be aware of occult macular dystrophy and order appropriate testing to accurately identify cases of occult macular dystrophy. Without thorough evaluation, patients may be easily misdiagnosed with other etiologies of vision loss., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The author has no financial conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 American Academy of Optometry.)

With the recent introduction of the non-native spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula ) to the USA, research and concern regarding this insect is increasing. Though L. delicatula is able to feed on many different plant species, its preference for the invasive tree-of-heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ) is apparent, especially during its later life stage. Therefore, management focused on A. altissima control to help limit L. delicatula establishment and population growth has become popular. Unfortunately, the control of A. altissima is difficult. Verticillium nonalfalfae , a naturally occurring vascular-wilt pathogen, has recently received attention as a potential biological control agent. Therefore, we studied if L. delicatula fourth instars or adults could vector V. nonalfalfae from infected A. altissima material to healthy A. altissima seedlings in a laboratory setting. We were unable to re-isolate V. nonalfalfae from the 45 A. altissima seedlings or from the 225 L. delicatula utilized in this experiment. We therefore, found no support that L. delicatula could effectively vector this pathogen between A. altissima in laboratory conditions. Since L. delicatula 's ability to vector V. nonalfalfae has implications for the dissemination of both this beneficial biological control and other similar unwanted plant pathogens, future research is needed to confirm these findings in a field setting.

The hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, is an invasive insect that threatens hemlock species in eastern North America. Several species from the genus Laricobius are predators of A. tsugae in its native areas of Asia and the western United States. Two Laricobius species have been released as biological control agents: Laricobius nigrinus Fender, and Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake. Laricobius rubidus LeConte is an adelgid predator native to the Eastern United States, where it can feed and complete development on A. tsugae opportunistically. Laboratory assays were conducted to assess the cold hardiness of these three Laricobius species, including two distinct populations of L. osakensis , by measuring the supercooling points of each species from November 2016 through March 2017. This information may be useful for choosing the best-suited biological control agent for a particular region to control A. tsugae . There was a significant difference between the overall mean supercooling point of L. rubidus compared to the other Laricobius spp. There were also significant differences of supercooling points between L. rubidus and both strains of L. osakensis in January, and significant differences between L. rubidus and all other strains in February. L. rubidus appear better adapted to cold extremes in the eastern U.S. than imported Laricobius spp.