Sluggin' Along: Candy-striped Leafhopper

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Candy-striped Leafhopper

Although I found this specimen on a rhododendron leaf, I don't believe it's a Rhododendron Leafhopper, but a Candy-striped Leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) owing to the prominence of the red markings. By contrast, the Rhododendron Leafhopper (Graphocephala fennahi) has more green than red. So, sometimes the plant on which a specimen is found can be misleading. Graphocephala is actually a subgenus in this case, and I think this specimen belongs to the subspecies Graphocephala coccinea quadrivittata.

Also known as the Red-banded Leafhopper, the Candy-striped Leafhopper is a dapper-looking sharpshooter (subfamily Cicadellinae). By the way, the name "sharpshooter" refers to their habit of expelling excess water droplets from the tip of their abdomens with an audible popping noise. They feed on the xylem of plants and can be damaging to gardens. But they're so beautiful I don't think I'd have the heart to kill them.