Tag Archives: leafhopper

Leafhopper: Graphocephala fennahi

21 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

What a stunning leafhopper this is, don’t you think?

This is the Rhododendron leafhopper (Graphocephala fennahi), an immigrant from the USA. After being introduced to Europe in the early 1900s, it somehow made its way across the Channel to the UK (probably on plant matter, as the UK is exceedingly lax with its border controls), and can now be found throughout much of southern Britain.

The only colony I know of is in Cardiff’s Bute Park and, though I’ve looked for it since my interest in leafhoppers has been reignited, I’ve not managed to find it during the past few summers. I’m not sure why that is – the weather perhaps, though last week the day was occasionally overcast, with frequent drizzle, and I still saw them. The wrong time of year? I don’t think so as I had checked when I had seen them in the past and gone looking around the same time – the adults are active from around July through to the middle of autumn. Whatever the reasons for not having found them in the past, suffice to say I was very pleased to find them last week, and spent quite a bit of time watching their antics.

If you’re wondering about that last image, it appears the leafhopper has suffered some damage to its wing cases, which probably means it can’t fly but it certainly had no trouble leaping away when I got a little too close looking at the vibrant orange of its abdomen.

Leafhopper: Issus coleoptratus

07 Monday Jul 2025

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

A couple of months ago I blogged about a couple of leafhopper nymphs I’d found on the local park railings (Leafhopper: Issus species, 5 May). At the time I was fairly certain these were Issus coleoptratus, and I explained why I’d reached that conclusion but, when I recorded my finds, the national recorder redetermined my records to Issus species.

I’m feeling just a little smug that my earlier conclusion has been vindicated by the fact that I’ve now found an adult Issus coleoptratus just along the railings from where I found the nymphs, and its identity has been verified by the national recorder. Of course, the little leafhopper wanted to run away when I got close to photograph it but then, when I put my hand against the railings to stop it scooting down the other side, rather than hopping away as they usually do, it crawled on to said hand and was very tickly as it wandered around on my skin. It was a delightful encounter with a very handsome little bug.

Leafhopper: Issus species

05 Monday May 2025

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

I’ve found two of these little leafhopper nymphs recently but was waiting for verification from the national recorder before posting about them. I recorded them as Issus coleoptratus but the recorder has changed them to Issus species.

The recorder is the expert, I certainly am not an expert but, in this case, I do think these are Issus coleoptratus, and here’s why. According to the Naturespot website entry for this species, there is only one confusion species, which is the much rarer Issus muscaeformis. Naturespot also includes excellent macro photographs of the identification features to look for on a nymph, which are more than 7 sensory pits on its back and pale horizontal bands on the frons (face), both of which I can see in my photos.

I will just have to look for the adult leafhoppers when they appear between June and November and hope that they will convince the national recorder. Meantime, I’m still really pleased to have found a new-to-me leafhopper species.

Leafhopper: Mocydia crocea

29 Saturday Mar 2025

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Though I’d seen a few tiny green leafhoppers flitting around Bramble bushes on warm sunny days, this gorgeous little creature is the first leafhopper I’ve managed to get photographs of this year, and, even better, it’s a species I’ve not seen before. This is Mocydia crocea, a stunningly marked hopper which, according to the British Bugs website, can be found ‘amongst grass in many habitats, from woodlands to hay meadows.’ It’s supposed to be widespread but there were just 22 records in the Welsh database before I added this one.

The British Bugs website also warns that this species can be tricky to identify as it is easily confused with two other species but there’s a handy photo showing the features to look for and I’m fairly confident I’ve identified this correctly.

Z is for Zygina flammigera

31 Tuesday Dec 2024

Posted by in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

And so, the end of the year is near and we’ve reached the final letter of this countdown. I have already covered the Cicadellidae, the leafhoppers that have so delighted me this year but, as its name begins with z, I couldn’t resist saving this species, Zygina flammigera, to be the subject of my final blog of 2024. I found two specimens of this new species in late September in riverside Alder trees. I think you’ll agree it is a very attractive little hopper, and I’m certainly hoping to find more of these and, indeed, more new species of hoppers in 2025.

241231 z is for Zygina flammigera

Thank you all for joining me on this year’s journey of discovery and learning and adventures in Nature. I sincerely appreciate your support, your likes and comments, and I’m excited for what the new year will bring.

C is for Cicadellidae

08 Sunday Dec 2024

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

What a fabulous year this has been for Cicadellidae, my lovely little leafhopping friends! I may have failed my self-imposed challenge to re-find the species I found ‘new to Wales’ back in 2016 but the search for that elusive leafhopper has led me to find 10 new species, including those shown below and blogged about during the year. Ten may sound like a lot but I’ve still only seen 28 of the c. 300 species of Cicadellidae in Britain and Ireland so I’ve a long way to go yet on my leafhopping journey, which will certainly continue in 2025.

241208 c is for cicadellidae acericerus sp and Populicerus confusus

Of the two species pictured above, the top one was the star in Leafhopper: Acericerus species, 12 September, and the lower one featured in Leafhopper: Populicerus confusus, 7 September.

241208 c is for cicadellidae Eupteryx aurata and kybos sp

Leafhopper: Eupteryx aurata, 19 September, on the left and on the right, Leafhopper: Kybos species, 26 September

241208 c is for cicadellidae rhytidod etcTremulicerus vitreus

And, the two newbies shown above are Leafhopper: Rhytidodus decimusquartus, 24 October at the top, and the lower one is Leafhopper: Tremulicerus vitreus, 6 November.

Leafhopper: Lindbergina aurovittata

04 Wednesday Dec 2024

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Who would’ve thought that on the second official day of winter (this past Tuesday, 2 December) I would find a new leafhopper? Yet here it is, Lindbergina aurovittata, a species whose adults can be seen between August and November. I guess the mostly mild weather has extended its life cycle a little this year (though some species of leafhopper overwinter as adult bugs, most pass the colder months as eggs or nymphs, according to the website of the Auchenorrhyncha Recording Scheme for Britain & Ireland). I found this particular Lindbergina aurovittata sitting under a leaf on a Bramble hedge along with several other leafhoppers of the Ribautiana tenerrima species.

241204 Lindbergina aurovittata

Leafhopper: Tremulicerus vitreus

06 Wednesday Nov 2024

Posted by in insects, trees

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

The hours I’ve spent fossicking around trees and turning over leaves have really paid off this year. As well as finding lots of new leaf-mining moth species, I’ve also been lucky with my search for new leafhopper species. Here’s the latest: Tremulicerus vitreus (previously known as Idiocerus vitreus). Looking at Aderyn, the Welsh biodiversity database and the NBN Atlas, there’s only been one previous Welsh record, back in 1989, and that’s showing on NBN as unconfirmed, so mine appears to be the first confirmed Welsh record. And I’ve now found around a dozen specimens, in two locations. I get the impression that I’m the only person checking for these creatures!

241106 tremulicerus vitreus (1)

The British Bugs website stresses that leafhoppers in this group are often difficult to identify but, luckily,

there is usually a pale midline on the pronotum and top of the face. Pale marks on the forewings are mostly restricted to the inner margin and the inner parts of some of the long veins….

241106 tremulicerus vitreus (2)

Though the best time to find these stunning little leafhoppers is between June and October on Poplar species, the adults do overwinter, and the females can sometimes be found on conifers during the winter months. Oh, and can you see why a photo of this leafhopper was posted on social media on Halloween, labelled the ‘Dracula bug’?

Leafhopper: Acericerus heydenii

30 Wednesday Oct 2024

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Today’s little leafhopper appeared when I was turning over leaves of Sycamore trees at Cardiff’s Cathays Cemetery. I initially thought it was Acericerus vittifrons but my record was redetermined to Acericerus heydenii by the national leafhopper recorder when he checked it.

241030 Acericerus heydenii (1)

Acericerus heydenii (previously known as Idiocerus heydenii) is a relatively recent arrival to Britain – it was first spotted in the south of England in 2010, probably having hitched a ride on a ferry across the Channel, or on a train through the Eurotunnel, from somewhere in Europe. Judging by the records on the Welsh national biodiversity database, it took about nine years to make its way across to Wales, where 15 specimens have now been recorded.

241030 Acericerus heydenii (2)

Please excuse the quality of my photos today. The camera I use for all my close-ups, an Olympus TG-5, does not deal well with low light (apparently, a known fault, which I did not know about when I bought it). This fault causes a purple cast in the centre of images, which I’ve tried not very successfully to correct. If you’re interested, you can see excellent images of today’s leafhopper on the True Hoppers of the Western Palearctic website.

Leafhopper: Rhytidodus decimusquartus

24 Thursday Oct 2024

Posted by in insects

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Though we missed the worst of it here in south-east Wales, last Sunday was a miserable day, the rain and gusty winds of Storm Ashley blasting across the British Isles. Luckily for me, the gloom was much cheered by an email verifying my recent record of this leafhopper, Rhytidodus decimusquartus.

241024 Rhytidodus decimusquartus (1)

It’s always good to have records of new species identified but, in this case, I was particularly chuffed as this was a rare sighting. The Aderyn biodiversity database shows no previous Welsh records, though, when I checked the NBN Atlas to see how many other British records there were, I found one record from 1985 in north Wales (I’m not sure why that’s not showing in Aderyn), and just 30 other British records.

241024 Rhytidodus decimusquartus (2)

I’m sure you’ll agree that Rhytidodus decimusquartus (previously known as Idiocerus decimusquartus) is a handsome little beastie, just 6-7mm long. The British Bugs website warns that leafhoppers in this group can be very tricky to identify but ‘This species has one unique feature that allows definitive identification: the vertex and pronotum have fine transverse ridges’, and these ridges were clearly visible in my photographs. I’ve now found at least four species of leafhopper on the Lombardy poplars where this little one was lurking so I’ll be heading back very soon to see what other wonders I might discover amongst their leaves (if the leaves are still on the trees after all that wind).