A 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.
Maiestas is a genus of insects in the family Cicadellidae, the vast majority of which were formerly placed in the genus Recilia.
Deltocephalinae is a subfamily of leafhoppers. Deltocephalinae is the largest subfamily in the family Cicadellidae and is divided into 40 tribes, comprising over 925 genera, and over 6,700 described species.
Sweta is a genus of leafhopper in the subfamily Typhlocybinae, with two species. The genus name is derived from the Sanskrit word for white, the type species S. hallucinata being predominantly whitish. The genus has an elongate pronotum which is unusual in Typhlocybinae and seen only in the Signoretiinae. A second species Sweta bambusana was described from China in 2012.
Scaphytopiini is an insect tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. The scope of the tribe was restricted by Zahniser & Dietrich (2013) to include only 3 genera.
Empoascini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Typhlocybinae.
Dikraneurini is a leafhopper tribe in the subfamily Typhlocybinae.
Athysanini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. The type genus of the tribe is Athysanus. The tribe has a cosmopolitan distribution. It is the largest tribe in the subfamily Deltocephalinae and has 228 genera and at least 1120 species.
Phlepsiini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. There are 4 genera and over 80 described species in Phlepsiini.
Coelidiinae is a subfamily of leafhoppers in the family Cicadellidae. There are at least 8 tribes, 108 genera, and over 900 species in Coelidiinae.
Scaphoideini is a tribe of leafhoppers. There are 64 genera and over 600 described species in Scaphoideini.
Chandrashekaraswami Adiveyya Viraktamath is an Indian entomologist who specializes in the systematics of leaf-hoppers, Cicadellidae. He served as a professor of entomology at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
Mukariini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae.
Goniagnathini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. Goniagnathini contains 4 genera and around 60 species. Of these, one new species, Goniagnathuscornutus was recently verified in China.
Koebeliini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. There are 6 genera and over 15 species divided into two subtribes within Koebeliini: Koebellina and Grypotina. Koebeliina species are endemic to western North America.
Magnentiini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. There are currently 2 genera and 4 species in the tribe. It was formerly placed in the subfamily Nioniinae, but was moved to Deltocephalinae based on anatomical similarities. Members of Magnentiini are superficially similar to members of Punctulini and Vartini.
Penthimiini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. Penthimiini contains 46 genera and over 200 species.
Vartini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. It currently contains 7 genera and over 20 species. Phylogenetic studies have shown that Vartini is closely related to Punctulini.
Punctulini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily Deltocephalinae. Punctulini currently contains 3 genera and 5 species. It is most closely related to Vartini and Magnentiini within Deltocephalinae.
Irena Dworakowska is a Polish entomologist who specialized in hemipterology.
