Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Hemiptera

L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz

Cicadellidae

Jassidae

Leafhoppers.

Salient features of adults. Terrestrial.

Phytophagous (on trees, shrubs and herbs, variously tapping phloem or xylem, or feeding on cytoplasm). Tiny to small; 2–11 mm long; fliers; conspicuous jumpers; relatively stout bodied. Rostrum not separated from the prosternum by a gula. Antennae longer than the head, readily visible from above; consisting of short segments with a terminal, unsegmented arista that is much longer than the segments. Ocelli present; 2. Thorax not crested. Tegulae absent. Fore-wings well developed; in the resting insect sloping roof-like over the abdomen; more or less uniform in texture; with opaque cells; without costal fracture and cuneus; with a clavus; with conspicuously raised, reticulate venation, or without conspicuously raised, reticulate venation. Clavus without convergence of veins to form a Y. Hind coxae immobile (according to Woodward et al., forming transverse plates occupying most of the ventral surface of the metathorax). The posterior tibiae longitudinally keeled (with one to three spiny keels). Tarsi 3 segmented.

Tegulae absent.

Taxonomy. Suborder Homoptera. Auchenorrhyncha. Cicadelloidea.

British representation. About 260 species in Britain; genera 90. Adarrus, Agallia, Alebra, Allygidius, Allygus, Alnetoidia, Aphrodes, Arocephalus, Arthaldeus, Athysanus, Austroagallia, Balclutha, Batrachomorpus, Chlorita, Cicadella, Cicadula, Colladonus, Deltocephalus, Dicranoneura, Dikraneura, Diplocolenus, Doratura, Ebarrius, Elymana, Empoasca, Errastunus, Erythroneura, Erythria, Eupelix, Eupteroidea, Eupteryx, Eurhadina, Euscelidius, Euscelis, Evacanthus, Fagocyba, Graphocephala, Graphocraerus, Grypotes, Hardya, Hephathus, Iassus, Idiocerus, Idiodonus, Jassargus, Kyboasca, Kybos, Lamprotettix, Limotettix, Linnavuoriana, Macropsis, Macrosteles, Macustus, Megaphthalmus, Metalimnus, Mocuellus, Mocydia, Mocydiopsis, Ledra, Notus, Oncopsis, Opsius, Ossiannilssonola, Palus, Paralimnus, Paramesus, Pediopsis, Placotettix, Platymetopius, Psammotettix, Rhopalopyx, Rhytistylus, Ribautiana, Sagatus, Sardius, Scleroracus, Sonronius, Sorhoanus, Speudotettix, Streptanthus, Stroggylocephalus, Thamnotettix, Turrutus, Typhlocyba, Ulopa, Wagneripteryx, Youngiada, Zygina. E.g., ‘Amblycephalus germari’ Curtis, = Evacanthus acuminatus (Fabr.): Burdock Frog-hopper.

Comments. Including pests which considerably damage host plants either directly, and/or indirectly by transmitting viruses and mycoplasmas.

Illustrations. • Psammotettix sabulicola (Curtis): B. Ent. 633. • Psammotettix sabulicola (Curtis): B. Ent. 633, legend+text. • Psammotettix sabulicola (Curtis): B. Ent. 633, text cont.. • Ledra aurita: B. Ent. 676. • Ledra aurita: B. Ent. 676, legend+text. • Ledra aurita: B. Ent. 676, text cont.. • Eurhadina pulchella, as Eupteryx ornatipennis Curtis. B Ent. 640. • Eurhadina pulchella Curtis. B. Ent. 640, legend+text. • Eurhadina pulchella Curtis. B Ent. 640, text cont.. • Amblycephalus germari Curtis, = Evacanthus acuminatus (Burdock Frog-hopper: B. Ent. 572). • Amblycephalus germari (detail: B. Ent. 572). • Amblycephalus germari (dissections: B. Ent. 572). • Amblycephalus germari (legend+text: B. Ent. 572). • Amblycephalus germari (text: B. Ent. 572, cont.). • Acucephalus tricinctus Curtis = Aphrodes bifasciatus f. tricinctus: B. Ent. 620. • Aphrodes bifasciatus f. tricinctus: B. Ent. 620, legend+text. • Aphrodes bifasciatus f. tricinctus: B. Ent. 620, text cont.. • Iassus reticulatus Curtis, = Oncopsis flavicollis: B. Ent. 636. • Iassus reticulatus Curtis: B. Ent. 636, legend+text. • Iassus reticulatus Curtis: B. Ent. 636, text cont.. • Idiocerus maculipennis Curtis = Idiocerus lituratus: B. Ent. 733. • Idiocerus maculipennis Curtis: B. Ent. 733, legend+text. • Idiocerus maculipennis Curtis: B. Ent. 733, text cont.. • Batrachomorphus, Iassus, Ledra, Megophthalmus, Oncopsis, Ulopa: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Ledra aurita; 1a, lateral aspect of Ledra aurita. 2, Ulopa reticulata; 3, Ulopa trivia; 4, Megophthalmus scanicus; 4a, front view of head of M. scanicus. 5, Batrachomorphus irroratus. 6, Iassus lanio. 7, Oncopsis alni; 8, Oncopsis rufusculus; 9 and 10, Oncopsis flavicollis. From Edwards (1896, Plate 10), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Hephathus, Macropsis (6 spp.), Pediopsis: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Pediopsis tiliae. 2, Hephathus nanus. 3 and 4, Macropsis scutellata; 5, Macropsis fuscinervis; 5a, front view of head of M. fuscinervis; 5b, elytron of M. fuscinervis. 6, Macropsis impura; 7, Macropsis ulmi; 8, Macropsis cerea; 9, Macropsis prasina. From Edwards (1896, Plate 11), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Idiocerus (10 spp.): Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Idiocerus stigmaticalis. 2, I. similis. 3, I. herrichii. 4, I. distinguendus; 4a, elytron of I. distinguendus. 5, I. tremulae; 5a, elytron of I. tremulae. 6 and 7, I. elegans. 8, I. laminatus. 9, I. lituratus. 10, I. poecilus. From Edwards (1896, Plate 12), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Agallia (2 spp.), Evacanthus (2 spp.), Idiocerus (5 spp.): Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Idiocerus vittifrons; 1a, face of I. vittifrons. 2, I. vitreus. 3, I. fulgidus. 4, I. populi. 5, I. confusus. 6, I albicans. 7, Agallia consobrina. 8, Agallia venosa. 9, Evacanthus interruptus. 10, Evacanthus acuminatus. From Edwards (1896, Plate 13), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Aphrodes, Cicadella, Stroggylocephalus: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Cicadella viridis, male; 2, Cicadella viridis, female. 3, Stroggylcephalus agrestis. 4, Aphrodes bicinctus; 4a, upper fore-parts of Aphrodes bicinctus var. 5, Aphrodes bifasciatus. 6–8, Aphrodes albifrons. 9, Acocephalus brunneo-bifasciatus Geoffr. (modern binomial not located). 10, Aphrodes histrionicus. 11, Aphrodes striatus. From Edwards (1896, Plate 14), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Doratura, Eupelix, Graphocraerus, Paramesus, Platymetopius, Rhopalopyx, Rhytistylus, Scleroracus: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Eupelix cuspidata; 1a, upper fore-parts of a variety of E. cuspidata. 2, Platymetopius undulatus. 3, Graphocraerus ventralis. 4, Doratura stylata. 5, Paramesus nervosus; 6, Paramesus phragmitis. 7, Rhytistylus proceps; 7a, face of R. proceps. 8, Rhopalopyx adumbrata. 9, Scleroracus plutonius. From Edwards (1896, Plate 15), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Arthaldeus, Diplocolenus, Euscelis, Hardya, Macustus, Streptanthus: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Streptanthus brevipennis; 2, Streptanthus sordidus; 3, Streptanthus aemulans. 4, Macustus grisescens. 5 and 6, Euscelis incisa (labelled Athysanus communis Sahl. and Athysanus obscurellus Kbm., respectively); 7, Euscelis obsoletus. 8, Hardya melanopsis. 9, Diplocolenus abdominalis subspecies juvencus. 10, Arthaldeus striiformis; 10a, face of A. striiformis. From Edwards (1896, Plate 16), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Arthaldeus, Deltocephalus, Errastunus, Jassargus, Psammotettix: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Arthaldeus pascuellus. 2, Psammotettix cephalotes. 3, Erastunus ocellaris. 4, Deltocephalus coronifer; 4a, upper fore-parts of D. coronifer. 5, Jassargus repletus. 6 and 7, Jassargus flori. 8, female Deltocephalus linnei Fieb. (listed in Kloet and Hincks 1st edition, not located in 2nd edition; but cf. Arocephalus longiceps); 8a, outline of last ventral segment of the latter. 9 and 10, see Jassargus distinguendus. These tentative identifications are unreliable, in the face of severe nomenclatural complications. The 1964 version of Kloet & Hincks referred assorted former Deltocephalus species (including 5 and 9 above) to Jassargus pseudocellaris. The latter name is presented as a synonym of Jassargus distinguendus in recent European checklists, in which taxa accepted by Edwards are resurrected. From Edwards (1896, Plate 17), with tentative nomenclatural updating and with approximate lengths added. • Arocephalus, Deltocephalus, Jassargus, Palus, Psammotettix, Sardius, Turrutus: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Jassargus paleaceus; 2, Turrutus socialis; 3, Psammotettix sabulicola. 4, Psammotettix nodosus. 5, Arocephalus punctum. 6, Sardius argus. 7, Palus costalis. 8, Deltocephalus coronifer; 8a, upper fore-parts of Deltocephalus coronifer. 9, Deltocephalus maculiceps. 10, Deltocephalus pulicaris. From Edwards (1896, Plate 18), with tentative nomenclatural updating and with approximate lengths added. • Allygidius, Euscelis, Euscleridius, Idiodonus, Scleroracus, Speudotettix, Thamnotettix: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Allygidius commutatus; 2, Allygidius modestus; 3, Allygidius mixtus. 4, Thamnotettix confinis; 5, Thamnotettix dilutior. 6, Speudotettix subfusculus. 7, Euscelidius variegatus; 7a, front view of Euscelidius variegatus. 8, Euscelis plebajus. 9, Scleroracus corniculus. 10, Idiodonus cruentatus. From Edwards (1896, Plate 19), with nomenclatural updating and with approximate lengths added. • Cicadula, Colladonus, Elymana, Lamprotettix, Limnotettix, Mocydia, Mocydiopsis: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Colladonus torneellus; 1a, front view of Colladonus torneellus. 2, Lamprotettix octopunctatus. 3, Mocydia crocea. 4, Mocydiopsis attenuata. 5, Limnotettix striola. 6, Mocydiopsis antennata. 7, Cicadula quadrinotata. 8 is labelled Limotettix nigricornis Sahl. by Edwards. This binomial is nowadays listed as a synonym of Cicadula quinquenotata, but the insects as depicted here look quite different: see the next Figure. 9, Cicadula quinquenotata. 10, Elymana sulphurella. From Edwards (1896, Plate 20), nomenclaturally updated and with approximate lengths added. • Cicadula, Dikraneura, Gnathodus, Macrosteles, Mocuellus, Sagatus, Sonronius: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Mocuellus metrius. 2, Macrosteles oshanini. 3, Sargatus punctifrons. 4, Sonronius dahlbomi. 5, Macrosteles septemnotatus. 6, Cicadula variata Fallen. 6a, front view of Macrosteles horvathi. 7, Cicadula frontalis. 7a, front view of Macrosteles fieberi. 8, Macrosteles cyanae (Boh.): labelled Cicadula cyanae Boh. by Edwards, this illustration bears little resemblance to that of Macrostyles lividus (see Fig. 9), for which cyanae is listed as a synonym in the 1964 edition of the Kloet & Hincks checklist. 10, Gnathodus punctatus. From Edwards (1896, Plate 21), nomenclaturally updated and with approximate lengths added. • Alebra, Dicranoneura, Dikraneura, Erythria, Notus: Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Alebra albostriella; 2, Alebra albostriella var. fulva; 3, Alebra albostriella var. wahlbergi. 4, Notus flavipennis. 5 and 5b, Dicranoneura citrinella; 5a, lateral view of genital plate of D. citrinella. 5c, outline lateral view of aedeagus of Dikraneura mollicula. 6, Dikraneura variata. 7, Erythria aureola. 8, Kybos smaragdula. 9, Empoasca flavescens; 9a, elytron of Empoasca flavescens. 9b, eltron of either Empoasca decipiens or Chlorita viridula? (labelled by Edwards Chlorita viridula Fall.). From Edwards (1896, Plate 22), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added. • Eupteryx (10 spp.): Edwards. CICADELLIDAE. 1, Eupteryx vittata; 2, Eupteryx urticae; 3, Eupteryx stachydearum; 4, Eupteryx collina; 5, Eupteryx melissae; 6, Eupteryx aurata; 7, Eupteryx atropunctata. 8, Eupteryx stignatipennis; 9, Eupteryx tenella; 10, Eupteryx artemisiae. From Edwards (1896, Plate 23), updated nomenclaturally and with approximate lengths added.