Hemiptera is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from 1 mm (0.04 in) to around 15 cm (6 in), and share a common arrangement of piercing-sucking mouthparts. The name "true bugs" is often limited to the suborder Heteroptera.
Leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and are covered with hairs that facilitate the spreading of a secretion over their bodies that acts as a water repellent and carrier of pheromones. They undergo a partial metamorphosis, and have various host associations, varying from very generalized to very specific. Some species have a cosmopolitan distribution, or occur throughout the temperate and tropical regions. Some are pests or vectors of plant viruses and phytoplasmas. The family is distributed all over the world, and constitutes the second-largest hemipteran family, with at least 20,000 described species.
Treehoppers and thorn bugs are members of the family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. About 3,200 species of treehoppers in over 400 genera are known. They are found on all continents except Antarctica; only five species are known from Europe. Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months.
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.
Cicadomorpha is an infraorder of the insect order Hemiptera which contains the cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, and spittlebugs. There are approximately 35,000 described species worldwide. Distributed worldwide, all members of this group are plant-feeders, and many produce either audible sounds or substrate vibrations as a form of communication. The earliest fossils of cicadomorphs first appear during the Late Permian. Notable extinct members include the "giant cicadas" belonging to Palaeontinidae.
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. Fulgoromorphs 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 superfamily Membracoidea of sap-sucking true-bugs includes two of the largest families within what used to be called the "Homoptera": the leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and the treehoppers (Membracidae). The other families in this group are quite small, and have, at various points, generally been included as members within other families, though they are all presently considered to be valid, monophyletic groups. The relict family Myerslopiidae is restricted to New Zealand and South America while the Melizoderidae consist of two genera restricted to South America. The great diversity of Neotropical taxa suggests that the group originated in that region.
Cercopis vulnerata is a species of froghopper in the family Cercopidae.
Machaerotidae are a family of bugs in the superfamily Cercopoidea which were formerly placed within Cercopidae. They are sometimes called tube-forming spittle-bugs as the nymphs form a calcareous tube within which they live. These bugs are mainly found in the Old World tropics. The adults of many genera have a long, free and spine-like process originating from the scutellum and thus superficially similar to the tree-hoppers, Membracidae. The tegmen or forewing, like typical bugs of the suborder Heteroptera, always has a distinct, membranous apical area.
Cercopidae are the largest family of Cercopoidea, a xylem-feeding insect group, commonly called froghoppers. They belong to the hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha. A 2023 phylogenetic study of the family suggested the elevation of subfamily Ischnorhininae to full family status as Ischnorhinidae, leaving a monophyletic Cercopinae.
Aphrophora alni, the European alder spittle bug, is a species belonging to the family Aphrophoridae.
Philaenus spumarius, the meadow froghopper or meadow spittlebug, is a species of insect belonging to the spittlebug family Aphrophoridae. In Italy and America, it is economically important as one of the vectors of Pierce's disease.
Cercopis sanguinolenta is a species of froghopper in the family Cercopidae.
Prosapia bicincta, the two-lined spittlebug, is a species of insect in the family Cercopidae. Adults are black with two red or orange lines crossing the wings. It reaches a length of 8–10 mm. It is widespread in the eastern half of the United States. A similar species, Prosapia simulans, can be found throughout Central America where it is considered an agricultural pest.
Aetalionidae are a family of treehoppers in the superfamily Membracoidea. Aetalionidae are somewhat like Membracidae in that they have one to three rows of short spines on the hind tibia but differ in having the front femur fused to the trochanter and the scutellum is completely exposed. The females have finger-like protrusions on the genital capsule. The family is mostly Neotropical. The subfamily Biturritiinae is Neotropical while the subfamily Aetalioninae has a Neotropical genus Aetalion and the sole Old World representative genus Darthula with a single species Darthula hardwickii.
Carystoterpa fingens, commonly known as the variegated spittlebug, is a spittlebug of the family Aphrophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Clastopteridae is a family of spittlebugs in the order Hemiptera. There are at least 10 genera and 100 described species in Clastopteridae.
Prosapia ignipectus, known generally as the red-legged spittlebug or black spittlebug, is a species of froghopper in the family Cercopidae. It is found in North America. It measures about 8 mm (0.3 in) in length.
Epipygidae is a lineage of froghoppers in the insect superfamily Cercopoidea. There are at least three genera and about five described species in Epipygidae, found in the American tropics. In addition, there are more than 20 undescribed species in the family. Molecular analyses indicate that the group is monophyletic, but is clearly nested within the family Aphrophoridae and is probably best relegated to the status of a subfamily or tribe, rather than retained as a separate family.
Sinoalidae is an extinct family of froghoppers known from the late Middle Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous of Asia. They are one of two main Mesozoic families of froghoppers, alongside Procercopidae, unlike Procercopidae, Sinoalidae is thought to be an extinct side branch and not ancestral to modern froghoppers. Sinoalids have a temporally disjunct distribution being only known from the late Middle Jurassic (Callovian) Yanliao Biota of Inner Mongolia and the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) aged Burmese amber of Myanmar, separated by over 60 million years. The family is "recognized by its tegmen with the costal area and clavus commonly more sclerotized and punctate than the remaining part, and its hind tibia with two rows of lateral spines"
