Speckled Sharpshooter (Paraulacizes irrorata)

(Photo taken 7/9/08)


Speckled Sharpshooter (Paraulacizes irrorata)

One of the multitude of leafhoppers -- around 3000 species in North America, 20,000 worldwide -- that feed on plant sap. This particular species is found in the central, northeastern and southeastern USA as well as Mexico.

Many species of leafhoppers coat their bodies and wings with a light dusting of water-repellent waxy material (brochosomes). That's the reason the water is tending to bead up and slide off this Speckled Sharpshooter after a light rain.

Thanks to Ron on BugGuide for the ID.

Speckled Sharpshooter (Paraulacizes irrorata)

Leafhopper (Tinobregmus viridescens)

Leafhopper (Tinobregmus viridescens)

A small (5/16" -- 6mm) and somewhat unusual-looking leafhopper. This T. viridescens was the first of its species submitted to BugGuide and was identified by Dr. Andrew Hamilton of the Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. Upon his request, I granted the CNC permission to add this photo to its digital collection.

Dr. Hamilton's comments on the characteristics of this species:

The hind legs are tucked up under the body, but they are so long that the "knee" joints extend as far forward as the eyes, and stick out way beyond the sides of the body. That is characteristic of this genus. Females like this (as in numerous grass-feeding genera) are short-winged.

That is everything I know about T. viridescens.
(Note: The leafhopper did not make the holes in this leaf. Leafhoppers (Family Cicadellidae), both adults and larvae, feed on plant sap.)

Leafhopper (Tinobregmus viridescens)

Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

Another common name for this leafhopper is Candystriped Leafhopper.  

There are over 3,000 species of leafhoppers in North America.  All are small jumping insects with one or more rows of small spines on the hind tibiae.  Both nymphs and adults feed on sap of above-ground stems or leaves of plants and can be everywhere vascular plants grow.  Several species are serious agricultural pests because of the damage they do to commercial crops. Some species also transmit plant pathogens such as viruses, mycoplasma-like organisms, or other microorganisms.

Leafhoppers have special sound-producing organs (tymbals) at the base of their abdomen; most leafhopper songs are too faint to be heard by humans without special amplifying equipment.

Thanks to BugGuide for the ID.

Red-banded Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea)

Leafhopper Nymph

Leafhopper Nymph (Scaphoideus sp.)

Leafhoppers are a small insects (1/4" to 3/8") that are found throughout the world. There are something like 20,000 different species worldwide and 3,000 in North America alone. All feed by sucking the sap out of plant stem or leaves.

This nymph fooled me with its fake snout, "eyes" and whiskers. Once you note the angle of the legs and determine which end is actually it's head, it does more closely resemble and adult leafhopper. Below is a photo of an adult, though not necessarily one like this nymph will become.

Leafhopper Nymph