Lowland Forest-Leafhopper

Leaf Hopper

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Cicadellidae

Genus: Various

Species: Various

General Characteristics: Although many species are easily recognized by their distinctive shapes and color patterns, many leafhopper groups contain numerous species that closely resemble one another and are difficult to distinguish. In some genera, the most reliable morphological features for distinguishing species are the male genitalia, which usually can only be examined after the abdomen has been cleared. Published insect field guides include, at most, only a few of the most distinctive and colorful leafhopper species. Published keys are available for many leafhopper genera, but these are often based only on the male genitalia and are difficult to use. Because they are one of the most common and abundant groups of herbivorous insects, leafhoppers are an important food source for vertebrate predators such as birds and lizards, as well as invertebrate predators such as spiders, assassin bugs, wasps, and robber flies.

Special Adaptations: Leafhopper individuals usually live for only a few months. However, they are members of a very ancient lineage that has changed little since the time of the dinosaurs. The oldest true leafhopper (Cicadellidae) fossils are known from the lower Cretaceous period (125 million years ago). Modern leafhopper genera are known from the Eocene and leafhoppers from Baltic and Dominican amber (35-55 million years old) are virtually indistinguishable from species that exist in those areas today.