Sharpshooter

Kelly’s Field Notes

Common Name: Leafhopper

Order: Hemiptera

Family: Cicadellidae

Genus: There are 2,600 genera within this family!

Species: There are 22,000 described species of leafhopper (3,000 species in North America north of Mexico).

Notable species:

• Sharpshooters, tribe Proconiini - leafhoppers from this tribe shoot liquid from their abdomen (waste products after they eat)

• Flexamia whitcombi - a new species discovered in 2015 in Kelly’s home state of New Jersey. There are so many species of leafhopper and they are so tiny that new discoveries are not a huge surprise.

• Potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) - an economically significant species that consumes several agricultural plants

• Candy-striped leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) - a visually striking species with wide geographic distribution across the United States

Description: 

Leafhoppers have wedge-shaped bodies and many come in vibrant iridescent colors (some are also very well camouflaged). They are generally pretty small, between 2 mm to 15 mm in length (0.08 in to 0.6 in). Most species are less than 13 mm in length (0.5 in). They are true bugs (Hemiptera) and have piercing/sucking mouth parts, 4 wings (forewings are either leathery and colored or clear) which they hold above their bodies like a tent, and powerful legs for jumping covered in spines. To achieve a jump, leafhoppers press down on their back legs, locking them in place (think of compressing a spring). When they are ready to jump, they release both legs at the same time (or else they’d spin off like a top), propelling them into the air. All of this happens in 1 to 2 milliseconds!

Leafhoppers secrete waxy granules (brochosomes) that they rub all over their bodies. This acts like a wax to protect the leafhopper from water and the sugary excretions of other sap sucking insects it might be around. It’s like waxing a very tiny car! His process is called “anointing.”

Some leafhoppers migrate! Populations in the south will move north in the spring and south again in the fall.

Life Cycle: 

Females of some species take brochosomes and rub them into a line or oval patch along their wings. After laying her eggs into a hole in a stem or leaf, the mother-to-be will use the waxy substance to seal the hole, keeping the eggs moist. It an take a few days to a few weeks for eggs to hatch, depending on temperature and species. Nymphs (which look like tiny adults with wing buds) suck sap until they molt, going through 5 molts before becoming adults. Adults can live for a few weeks.

Super Powers:

• Sharpshooter - some leafhoppers shoot excess liquids from their abdomens to scare off predators.

• Jump - Aphrodes bicinctus, jumps have been recorded with a take-off velocity of up to 2.9 m/s and an acceleration of around 1055 m/s² within just a few milliseconds. They can reach a height of 0.43 m or 17 inches. Froghoppers have them beat, but they are pretty close (see episode Bubble Bug for more info). At this speed relative to body size, it’s essentially teleportation.

• Grip - Leafhoppers have sticky pads (platellae) on their feet (tarsi) which allow them to stick to smooth surfaces. Even glass! This grip also helps them stabilize before jumping.

• Vibration - leafhoppers ‘talk” to each other by sending vibrations through plant stems and leaves. They do this to show they are interested in mating.

• Bioweapon - Some species of leafhoppers carry viruses and/or bacteria between plants. Infecting the new plats as they move.

• Camouflage - While many leafhoppers are flamboyant in their coloration, some blend in with the plants they spend time on or resemble thorns and other plant protrusions.

• Dance - Leafhopper nymphs will “dance” or vibrate, tab, or wiggle their abdomens to ward off predators. Adults will also shake or vibrate to coordinate moving to a new plant for feeding (safety in numbers), ward off predators, or communicate they are ready to mate. Vibration will also tell each other they are the same species.

• Passive flight - wind-aided migration as aeroplankton.

Leafhoppers in Culture:

• Some species of leafhoppers are pests, affecting crops such as potatoes, eggplant, tobacco, tomatoes, grapes, citrus, and stone fruits. However, the majority of leafhoppers out there are not pest species!

References:

Burrows, Malcolm. "Anatomy of the hind legs and actions of their muscles during jumping in leafhopper insects." Journal of Experimental Biology 210.20 (2007): 3590-3600.

Burrows, Malcolm. “Kinematics of jumping in leafhopper insects (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae).” The Journal of experimental biology vol. 210,Pt 20 (2007): 3579-89. doi:10.1242/jeb.009092

Clemente, Christofer J et al. “Jumping without slipping: leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) possess special tarsal structures for jumping from smooth surfaces.” Journal of the Royal Society, Interface vol. 14,130 (2017): 20170022. doi:10.1098/rsif.2017.0022

Eriksson, Anna et al. “Inter-plant vibrational communication in a leafhopper insect.” PloS one vol. 6,5 e19692. 5 May. 2011, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019692

Cocroft, Reginald B. "The public world of insect vibrational communication." Molecular Ecology, vol. 20, (2011): 2041-2043.

“Flexamia Whitcombi: New Species of Leafhopper Discovered in New Jersey.” Sci.News, 6 July 2015, www.sci.news/biology/science-flexamia-whitcombi-leafhopper-new-jersey-02989.html. Accessed 25 July 2025.

“Leafhoppers.” Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/leafhoppers.

‌Metcalf. Leafhoppers.NC State University Libraries, www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/digital/metcalf/leafhoppers.html.

Polajnar, Jernej, et al. "Leafhopper males compensate for unclear directional cues in vibration-mediated mate localization." Scientific reports 13.1 (2023): 8879.

“Tribe of Insects.” Wikipedia.org,en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpshooter_(insect). Accessed 25 July 2025.