Leafhopper
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Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. Leafhoppers are found all over the world, and it is the second largest family in the Hemiptera; there are at least 20,000 described species. Leafhoppers have piercing sucking mouthparts, they feed on plant sap and can transmit plant viruses. Species that are significant agricultural pests include the potato leafhopper, beet leafhopper, white apple leafhopper, two-spotted leafhopper, and glassy-winged sharpshooter.
The Cicadellidae combine the following features: · thickened part of the antennae very short and ending with a bristle (arista) · two simple eyes (ocelli) present on the top or front of the head · 3 segments on the tarsi · front femora with at most weak spines · hind tibia with one or more distinct keels, with a row of movable spines on each, sometimes on enlarged bases · base of middle legs close together where they originate under the thorax · front wings not particularly thickened. An additional, unique character of leafhoppers is production of brochosomes.
External links
- [Cicadellidae Taxonomy Site]
- [Red-banded leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea - diagnostic photographs and information]
- [Illinois Natural History Survey:leafhoppers]
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