The Auchenorrhyncha suborder of the Hemiptera contains most of the familiar members of what was called the "Homoptera" – groups such as cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, and spittlebugs. The aphids and scale insects are the other well-known "Homoptera", and they are in the suborder Sternorrhyncha.
A planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, a group exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide. The name comes from their remarkable resemblance to leaves and other plants of their environment and that they often "hop" for quick transportation in a similar way to that of grasshoppers. However, planthoppers generally walk very slowly. Distributed worldwide, all members of this group are plant-feeders, though few are considered pests. The infraorder contains two superfamilies, Fulgoroidea and Delphacoidea. Fulgoroids are most reliably distinguished from the other Auchenorrhyncha by two features; the bifurcate (Y-shaped) anal vein in the forewing, and the thickened, three-segmented antennae, with a generally round or egg-shaped second segment (pedicel) that bears a fine filamentous arista.
The Cixiidae are a family of fulgoroid insects, one of many families commonly known as planthoppers, distributed worldwide and comprising more than 2,000 species from over 150 genera.
The family Derbidae is a large and diverse group of planthoppers, widely distributed in the tropics and also found in subtropical and temperate regions. It includes more than 150 genera and more than 1500 species. The adults suck the sap of plants while the nymphs live mainly in decaying organic matter, for example under the bark of dead tree trunks, feeding on fungi. In some groups of species the general structure of the insects is largely uniform, whereas in others like in the subfamily Otiocerinae various forms can be found. For example, the shape of the head, the antennae or the wings can differ considerably among genera and species.
Acanalonia is a genus of planthopper and contains the majority of the species within the family Acanaloniidae. Species have been recorded from southern Europe and the Americas.
Flatidae are a family of fulgoroid planthoppers. They are cosmopolitan in distribution and are distinguished from others in the superfamily by a combination of characters. Like all other planthoppers, they suck phloem sap of plants. Some species are known to communicate with vibrations through the plant stems. Communication may be with mates, or with ants that tend the nymphs, protecting them and gathering honeydew secretions. Adults of some species have brightly coloured forewings which are tougher and known as tegmina unlike the membranous hindwings which are used for flight. Although a few can be identified by their coloration, most species requires dissection and examination under a microscope with access to literature on already described species.
Metcalfa pruinosa, the citrus flatid planthopper, is a species of insect in the Flatidae family of planthoppers first described by Thomas Say in 1830.
Issidae is a family of planthoppers described by Spinola in 1839, belonging to the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha superfamily Fulgoroidea.
Nogodinidae is a family of planthoppers. They have membranous wings with delicate venation and can be confused with members of other Fulgoroid families such as the Issidae and Tropiduchidae. Some authors treat it as a subfamily of the Issidae.
Ricania speculum, common name Black planthopper or Ricaniid Planthopper, is a species of planthoppers belonging to the family Ricaniidae.
Melanoliarus is a genus of cixiid planthoppers in the family Cixiidae. There are at about 50 described species in Melanoliarus, which are common and widespread in the Nearctic and Neotropics.
Otiocerinae is a subfamily of planthoppers in the family Derbidae with more than 100 genera and more than 1000 species. The species are widely distributed, especially in the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Like in other Derbidae, the adults suck the sap of plants while the nymphs live mainly in decaying organic matter, for example under the bark of dead tree trunks, feeding on fungi.
Aplos is a genus of issid planthopper with only one species, Aplos simplex. It can be found in most of the Eastern United States and is now found as an invasive species in Northern Italy and Austria. Aplos simplex was formerly listed under the genus Thionia.
Nagusta goedelii is a species of assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae.
The Achilixiidae are a family of Fulgoromorpha (planthoppers); species may be found in the neotropical and Asian regions. They are closely related to Achilidae and are sometimes included under Achilidae as a subfamily. Like Achilidae, species generally feed on several species of plant though the nymph stage has been found to feed on fungus. Like other planthoppers, the immature stage is covered in a wax which may help protect it from predators. Achilixiidae are small or medium sized for planthoppers and are greatly compressed, not depressed like the Achilidae.
Mimarachnidae is an extinct family of planthoppers known from the Cretaceous period. Their name is derived from spots on the wings of the first described genera, Mimarachne and Saltissus, being suggestive of spider mimicry, but these characters are not distinctive for the family as a whole. The family is characterised by "simplified venation and setigerous metatibial pecten and hind leg armature". as well as "rounded anterior margin of pronotum, double carination of pronotum and mesonotum"
Lycorma meliae is a planthopper species endemic to Taiwan, with multiple, dramatically different color morphs depending on the life stage. The species was described by Masayo Kato in Taiwan in 1929, and is the only member of its genus confirmed to be native to the island. In 1929, a specimen of L. meliae was originally described as a separate species, L. olivacea, also by Kato. These two taxon names were declared synonymous in 2023. L. meliae undergoes four instar stages before achieving adulthood and generally only survive until the winter.
Acanalonia servillei is a species of planthopper in the family Acanaloniidae. It is a widely distributed species, being found along the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States as far southwest as Texas and as far north as New York. It is also found on many Caribbean islands such as The Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica. Like most planthoppers, it feeds on the sap of plants. It is noted as being associated with Capparis cynophallophora along with other plants in the caper family, though not exclusively. It is a quite large species for its family, usually measuring more than 9mm.
Acanalonia excavata is a species of planthopper in the family Acanaloniidae. It is native to Nicaragua and is adventive in Florida. It is about 9 mm long.
Qiyangiricaniidae is an extinct insect family of planthoppers. It was first named by Jacek Szwedo, Bo Wang, and Haichun Zhang in 2011 and contains only one genus, Qiyangiricania.
