Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter - Homalodisca vitripennis [2]
Family Cicadellidae - Leafhoppers / Subfamily: Cicadellinae
Live adult sharpshooter photographed at Zilker Botanical Gardens, Austin, Texas.
Insects & Spiders Home | Hemiptera Index | Hemiptera Pictures | Spiders | Bees & Wasps | Beetles | Moths

"Sharpshooter" is one common name for the leafhopper subfamily Cicadellinae, which includes Paraulacizes, Oncometopia, Cuerna, Draeculacephala, Graphocephala and many other genera. They get this name from their habit of feeding on the watery sap of xylem tissue, which conducts moisture from the roots up to the leaves. This sap is so nutrient-poor (in particular, Nitrogen), the hopper must process vast quantities to attain the energy it needs; the resultant excess water droplets are forced out the tip of the abdomen (Fig 1.) with an audible popping noise, hence the common name. [1]