Green Leafhopper with Smoky-Gray Back
Sam and Rosie caught this leafhopper for me on June 25, 2016. Most of the leafhoppers we see are either green, or have some sort of complex coloration. But this one just looked like it had started green and then had its back smoked.
There are a lot of true bugs collectively called “leafhoppers” and “planthoppers” in the family Cicadellidae which look broadly similar to this, with their wide heads and streamlined shape.
While the various types of leafhoppers have wings, I’ve never seen them use them when they leap, they just shoot off like a little pellet and crash into the ground. They actually look like they might be tiny lifting bodies, with their heads and bodies shaped to provide aerodynamic lift as they fly through the air.
This one has jumping legs at the long end of the spectrum, that are very nearly as long as its body. They also have rather pronounced spines on the jumping legs, which is a feature that can be used to distinguish leafhoppers from the similar-appearing spittlebugs. The long legs aren’t used much for walking, and are kept “cocked” in preparation for a jump.
There are a few thousand known species of leafhopper in North America, and I was having a lot of trouble slogging through all the pictures looking for something that would be a close match. But when I posted it to BugGuide, John and Jane Balaban suggested a likely candidate: Poana pectoralis. This is the only one I’ve seen on BugGuide that has both the long, spiky leafhopper legs, and that particular green-and-smoky-gray coloration (although there is some variation, and they don’t necessarily look like this).
Anyway, if that’s what it is, then this adult was pretty close to the end of their season, as they apparently overwinter as nymphs and the adults are only present through the spring until about the end of June.
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