www.small-beings.org
www.small-beings.org
Die Zwergzikaden (Cicadellidae, Syn.: Jassidae), auch Kleinzikaden genannt, bilden eine Familie innerhalb der Unterordnung der Rundkopfzikaden. Mit mehr als 20.000 Arten ist sie eine der artenreichsten Familien der Insekten. In Deutschland sind 452 Arten beheimatet.
Zwergzikaden sind kleine Insekten aus der Familie der Zikaden, die gut springen können. Sie haben lange, biegsame Hinterbeine mit dornartigen Setae. Zwergzikaden kommen weltweit in verschiedenen Lebensräumen vor und ernähren sich von Pflanzensäften, wobei sie auch viralen Infektionen übertragen können. Sie können mit Ameisen in Symbiose leben und sind eine wichtige Nahrungsquelle für viele Räuber. Es gibt eine große Vielfalt an Zwergzikadenarten, von denen einige noch nicht ausreichend erforscht sind. Fossile Überreste von Zwergzikaden wurden bis zu 125 Millionen Jahre alt gefunden.
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. They belong to a lineage traditionally treated as infraorder Cicadomorpha in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. This has sometimes been placed in its own suborder (Clypeorrhyncha), but more recent research retains it within Auchenorrhyncha.Members of the tribe Proconiini of the subfamily Cicadellinae are commonly known as sharpshooters.
The Cicadellidae, commonly known as leafhoppers, are small insects that have various distinguishing characteristics such as short, bristled antennae and distinctive wing structures. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts and primarily feed on plant sap, although some species may also consume smaller insects. Leafhoppers can act as vectors for plant pathogens, transmitting viruses, phytoplasmas, and bacteria. Some species build protective silk nests under leaves. Leafhoppers are part of the Membracoidea superfamily and are the most basal lineage within it. They are considered to be a type of hemipteran insect.