Order Homoptera (*check current classification)
COMMON NAMES - CICADAS, LEAFHOPPERS, TREEHOPPERS, SCALE INSECTS, APHIDS, SPITTLEBUGS, PLANTHOPPERS, AND MEALYBUGS
Members of the order Homoptera vary widely in appearance. They range from small to large and may or may not have wings. If wings are present, they are usually four in number and are held roof-like over the body. The front wings may be transparent as in the case of cicadas, or colored as in the case of leafhoppers. All Homoptera have piercing-sucking mouthparts and a gradual metamorphosis, the life stages being the egg, nymph, and adult. The winged forms include leafhoppers, cicadas (sometimes called locusts), spittlebugs, planthoppers and treehoppers. The plantlice or aphids, include both winged and wingless forms. Scale insects are covered throughout most of their lives by a waxy scale. All Homoptera feed on plants. Many serious pests belong to this order.
Examples
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Family Cicadidae from the display case in the hallway of Waters Hall |
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| **most of the images included in these pages are from the 'Insects in Kansas' Book. They are freely available for student and noncommercial use (according to their copyright agreement with each photographer) at the PDIS image site, http://www.pdis.org/default.aspx | ||