Cicadellids
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Cicadellidae
"leafhoppers" |
| From Cahuita , Costa Rica. A park ranger had just confiscated
my insect net, and I had to walk several kilometers to the office
to get it back (insect collecting is forbidden in the parks). But
after I did that, the ranger became very friendly, and began
helping me find cool insects to photograph. We found these
cicadellids on the inside of an elephant ear frond. There's just
something about the geometry and symmetry of this shot that I
find visually satisfying. |
| Leafhoppers are members of the Order Homoptera ("same wing"), distinguished on the basis of their haustellate
(piercing) mouthparts. Also included in this order are cicadas, treehoppers, froghoppers ("spittlebugs"), aphids, and scale insects.
They are distinguished from the other major group of insects with haustellate mouthparts, the Order Hemiptera ("half wing") or true bugs, in that
Homopteran beaks arise on the back of the head, while Hemipteran beaks arise from the front of the head. Another characteristic
which may help to distinguish these orders is that the front wings of bugs are subdivided into a leathery part and a clear membranous part at the tip
(hence "half wing"). The Homopterans with wings have the front wing either entirely membranous or entirely leathery (hence the name "same wing").
All Homopterans are plant feeders, using their beak to pierce into plant parts and sucking out the juices. A great many of them are serious agricultural
pests, as they damage plants due to their feeding. Many also are vectors for plant diseases. |
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References
- Borror, D.J., C.A. Triplehorn, and N.F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th Edition. Saunders
College Publishing, New York.
- Howard, L.O. 1902. The Insect Book. Doubleday Page & Company, New York.
- Kellogg, V.L. 1905. American Insects. Henry Holt and Company, New York.
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All images © 1999 by Jay Comeaux unless otherwise noted. |
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