Leafhopper

Leafhoppers are one of the most abundant groups of plant-fed insects in the world, and Leafhoppers And planthoppers have more than all species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined. Many species are host-specific, and their names indicate their preferred hosts. For example, rose leafhopper, grape leafhopper, potato leafhopper bai, etc.

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Leafhopper varies in colour depending on the type of wedge shape. Their name refers to the affinity of leafhopper, which jumps from the leaf surface when disturbed. The leafhopper is one of the small, slender, often beautifully coloured and marked insects of the large family Cicadellidae (leafhopper) of the eastern dynasty. They can be seen on almost all types of plants. However, individual species are host-specific. It does not damage a single leaf hawk plant, but can be an overall serious economic pest. 

Leafhopper Adults are long, wedge-shaped and have a slightly triangular cross-section. They easily jump and fly. Depending on the species, the size varies from around 1/8 to 1/2 inches, and the body may be displayed in yellow, green, grey or a colour pattern. Nymphs are similar to adults but without wings. They can run and jump quickly, sometimes sideways.

In this article, we will discuss the green leafhopper, green leafhopper salient features and their types. We will also study. You will also learn about the family Cicadellidae and the leafhopper briefly.

Cicadellidae

Leafhopper is the common name for any species in the Cicada family. These tiny insects, colloquially called funnels, are plant feeders, and they draw sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified to jump and are covered with hair to promote the spread of secretions on their bodies, which act as water-repellent agents and pheromone carriers. They undergo partial metamorphosis and have several host associations, ranging from very common to very specific. Some species have a worldwide distribution or are found in temperate and tropical regions. Some are vectors of pests or plant viruses and phytoplasma. This family is distributed all over the world and is the second-largest family of Hemiptera, with at least 20,000 species described. 

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They belong to a lineage traditionally regarded as the suborder Cicada in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, but since the last taxa may not be monophyletic, many modern authors prefer to abolish Auchenorrhyncha and promote cicadomorphs to suborder Clypeorrhyncha. The members of the Proconiini tribe of the Cicadellinae subfamily are often called snipers. The important agricultural pests of the leafhopper family include beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus), corn leafhopper (Cicadulina mbila), potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae), two-spotted leafhopper (Sophronia rufofascia), blue-green sniper (Graphocephala atropunctata), Common leafhopper (Orosius Orientalis), green rice leafhopper (Nephotettix spp.) and white apple leafhopper (Typhlocyba pomaria). The beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) can transmit the beet roll-top virus to various nightshade family members, including tobacco, tomato, or eggplant, and is a serious vector of the disease in peppers of the southwestern United States.  

There are many types of leafhoppers in North American home gardens. Both adults and nymphs feed by piercing the underside of leaves and sucking the sap from the plant. Its poisonous saliva can cause spots (white spots), yellowing, the curvature of the leaves, stunted growth and deformation of plants. They are also responsible for the spread of organisms that cause viral diseases in plants. Common host plants include beans, corn, lettuce, beets, potatoes, grapes, roses, etc.

Salient Features of The Green Leafhopper

Earth is the only planet in the entire solar system which is suitable for living. Our planet earth is filled with wonderful creatures of all sizes, from an ant to huge elephants. Every animal has its distinct nature and exhibits distinguishable features. In an environment even though many creatures belong to the same species and family, they will be different by their features. It is extremely essential to study the salient features of the particular being or the creature to have a thorough understanding of the considered creature. Let us understand the salient features of the leafhopper such as its description, habitat, diet, breeding, etc.

1. The Description of the Leafhopper:

Adult leafhoppers are wedge-shaped and vary in colour from green to brown. Their length varies from 1/8 to 3/8 inches. Immature leafhoppers are elongated, have soft bodies and move quickly, usually sideways, with leaves and stem on the back of the leaves. 

Although many types of leafhoppers overwinter as adults or eggs in and around lawn areas, other types of leafhoppers, such as potato leafhoppers, migrate from southern states to the northern Great Plains in May and June each year. Depending on the species, there may be 2 to 3 generations of leafhoppers in a season. Generally speaking, leafhoppers reach their highest population levels from midsummer to early autumn. 

The adult leafhopper (1/4 inch long) is a slender, wedge-shaped insect that will fly or disperse quickly when disturbed. Depending on the species, their colour can be green, brown or yellow, and they usually have coloured markings. Nymphs have no wings and are usually lighter in colour than adults. Both adults and nymphs run sideways and are good jumpers. 

2. The Life Cycle of the Leafhopper:

Most species hibernate as eggs or adults. The eggs are inserted into the veins, branches or stems of the host plant. Wingless nymphs hatch from their eggs in about 10 days and begin feeding on the tender new growth of the host plant. They develop in five stages (ages) within 12 to 30 days, leaving the skin in the breeding area. As the nymphs grow, they will develop wing pads. Most leafhoppers produce one generation per year, but some can grow up to six generations. 

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The life cycle of the leafhoppers is an incomplete metamorphosis because they hatch from eggs and mature through multiple nymph stages before reaching adulthood. Adult females insert their eggs into plant tissues, where they can survive the winter, protected from the elements and any predators. 

Eggs inserted into tissues can cause "button-shaped" damage that is more obvious than the insect itself. Once the temperature is high enough, the incubation will begin in the spring. Nymphs are the product of the hatching process, and although they have no wings, they are similar to adults. To reach adulthood, nymphs shed their skins four to five times in 27 weeks. Many types of leafhoppers complete two or more generations per year.

3. The Habitat of the  Leafhopper:

Leafhoppers can be found on every continent in almost any habitat that supports vascular plant life, including deserts, grasslands, wetlands, and forests. They are often found feeding on the stems or leaves of plants above the ground. 

Species may be somewhat specific to certain host plants. In groups, they feed on the leaves of a wide variety of plants, including a variety of grass leaves, flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, shrubs, deciduous trees, palms and weeds. The rose leafhopper, Edwardsiana rosae (Linnaeus), feeds mainly on plants of the rose family, although the foliage of other woody plants (blackberry, Cornus, oak, Prunus, Populus, raspberry, Ulmus, Acer and other species ) is used as food. The potato planthopper, Empoasca fabae (Harris), feeds on legumes such as alfalfa, as well as apples, birch, chestnuts, maples, and others. 

Species of the genus Erythroneura feed on fig leaves, but also apples, grapes, and willows. The six-spotted aphid or planthopper, Macrosteles quadrilineatus Forbes, feeds on vegetables and annual flowers and spreads aster yellows virus to woody plants such as periwinkle and Thunbergia species. The pupae and adults feed on the underside of the leaves. Some species of aphids are easily attracted to light. 

Leaf planthoppers are found in temperate, tropical and subtropical climates. They live in forests, deserts, grasslands, swamps, farm fields and backyards. The predators that threaten the leafhopper are birds, lizards, spiders, parasitic wasps, and other insects. Grasshoppers emit a soft, vibrant sound with flexible plates, called timpani, on the underside of their abdomen. Inaudible to humans, this painful cry can frighten predators and cause them to release captured aphids. 

4. Diet of the Leafhopper:

All eat tree sap. Leafhoppers feed on a wide variety of vascular plants, including grasses, sedges, woody and broadleaf plants of many families, and conifers. At least one species of planthopper typically feeds on each dominant plant species in most terrestrial ecosystems. It often happens that several species of leafhoppers coexist on the same plant. 

5. Communication:

Aphids have many means of communication. They are brightly coloured, they have distinctive vibrant stems, as well as the chemical communication that all insects use. Just like their loved ones, the cicadas. They use special sound-producing organs at the base of the abdomen called "timpani" to create songs. Most grasshopper songs are too faint for the human ear to hear without special amplification equipment. 

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6. Reproduction:

In spring and summer, leafhoppers bite their small eggs in the veins or stems of leaves. Their reproductive cycle varies by species. Some aphid eggs hatch in ten days, others are dormant during winter and hatch in spring. The young feed on the host plant, remaining on the underside of the leaves where they are less visible to predators. After five moults, in 12 to 30 days, the juveniles develop into winged adults. 

7. Threats: 

Sometimes the Leafhoppers damage plants directly, through feeding that can damage plant tissue and deprive the plant of essential nutrients, or indirectly, through the transmission of plant pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, mycoplasmic organisms or other microorganisms. Organizations. Thus it is quite important to have a leafhopper control once in a while.

Several species of leafhoppers are serious agricultural pests. These include brown leafhoppers, aphids, white apple leafhoppers, winged leafhoppers, and leafhoppers.

There have been a few anecdotal reports of locusts biting people, but these incidents appear to be random and rare. Interestingly, a researcher in Denmark (Lundsgaard, T. 1997. Virus Research) recently found filovirus-like seeds in the salivary glands of a common European herbivore, Psammottix alieus (Dahlbom). Four viruses of the Filovirus genus have been described previously to cause incurable diseases in humans, including a particularly gruesome disease known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever. 

8. Ecological Impact:

Aphids damage the plants they eat. Their suckers secrete toxic amounts of saliva in the leaves and stems, causing white or yellow bumps. Funnel blight occurs when leaves turn yellow or brown due to the damage of leafhoppers, causing stunted or dead plants. Some species of planthoppers carry and spread diseases that damage crops, destroying crops and some plant species. Aphids are an important food source for insectivores. 

9. Conservation Status:

The geographical distribution and abundance of most species of leafhoppers are so poorly documented that their conservation status is unknown. However, some species are related to threatened habitats, such as the tall grasslands of North America, which are officially listed as threatened or endangered by some US states. (see the following links for a list of states: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). Dr. Andy Hamilton of Agriculture Canada in Ottawa examined the conservation status of Canadian brown leafhoppers and their value as indicators of habitat quality.

Green Leafhopper Types and Threats:

Thousands of aphid species exist in the world, all belonging to the Cicadellidae family. Moving quickly, they can jump forward, backward and to the side, like a crab. Adults fly away quickly when disturbed. Specialized tablets allow them to draw water from leaves, grass and fruits. Winged beetles are fast maturing insects that produce up to six generations per year. Some species are migratory, others hibernate, and others have a short lifespan of a few weeks or months.

There are several species of the leafhopper such as sugarcane leaf hopper, mango leaf hopper, the red banded leafhopper, etc. 

Now let us have a look at a few identified types of leafhoppers are listed below:

1. Apple Leafhopper (Empoasca Maligna):

The scientific name of the apple leafhopper is Empoasca maligna. The apple leafhopper causes apple foliage to pale and become speckled with white spots. The adult apple leafhoppers are greenish-white in colour, and they are host particular for either apple or rose. They breed once a year i.e., one generation per year.

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2. Beet Leafhopper:

The scientific name of the beet leafhopper is Circulifer tenellus, and it is a carrier of a viral disease called "curling" that curls the leaves of sugar beets and stunts growth. Adults are pale green or yellow and about 3 mm (0.1 inches) long. There are three or more generations per year. In addition, brown planthoppers also infect tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, spinach and other garden crops. 

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3. Grape Leafhopper: 

Grape leafhopper (Erythroneura) is a slender, yellow insect with red patches and is about 3mm long. It feeds on growing leaves and overwinters among fallen grape leaves. It is found on vines, virgin vines and apple trees and is controlled by spraying or dusting. 

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4. Potato Leafhopper:

The potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) is a pest of potato plants that causes leaves to turn brown and curl; The insects block the xylem and phloem vessels of plants, thus hampering the transport of food products. The adult potato leafhopper is green with white markings on the head and thorax and is approximately 3 mm long. Instead of hibernating in the north, they overwinter on legumes in warm climates. This insect carries a viral disease and infects beans and apples as well as potatoes. 

5. Rose Leafhopper:

Edwardian rose (Edwardsiana rosae) is a serious pest of roses and apples. It is creamy white to pale yellow and is approximately 3mm in length. It is growing in its infancy and produces two generations per year. It does not cause funnel burns. 

6. Six-Spotted Leafhopper: 

The six-spotted planthopper (Macrosteles fasfrons) is yellow-green with six black dots. It produces several generations per year. It infects the aster virus and other garden plants and transmits the yellow aster virus, causing extensive branching, stunted growth, and yellowing of leaves.

Conclusion:

• The green Leafhoppers are small insects, and they measure around a quarter to a half-inch in length. The size of the Leafhoppers ranges from 2 - 30 mm in length.

• They're slender with a blunt head, and their wings form a wedged shape over their body. Their hind legs have four rows of small spines running down them. 

• Most leafhoppers are green or yellow, but their colour varies by species, and many have mottled markings. Juveniles resemble adult leafhoppers, but their bodies are smaller and they don't have wings.

• Leafhoppers belong to the superfamily Membracoidea, which includes three families of treehoppers: families Membracidae, Aetalionidae, and Melizoderidae. More distantly related are other members of the infraorder Cicadomorpha: cicadas (Cicadoidea) and spittlebugs (froghoppers, Cercopoidea).

• Leafhoppers are found in temperate, tropical, and subtropical climates. They live in forests, deserts, grasslands, wetlands, agricultural fields and backyard gardens.