Two quarter inch leafhoppers are getting acquainted on a grape leaf in my yard.
In general, leafhoppers feed by penetrating the underside of leaves and sucking out the sap. Hosts include numerous varieties of grasses and many other vascular plant species. Some leafhopper species are considered “agricultural pests” for the damage they do to crops such as potatoes, lettuce, beets, and as in this case, grapes. Their saliva can cause leaf curling, yellowing of leaves, as well as stunting and distortions of the plants the leafhoppers feed from.
I have read (but not confirmed) that there are more species of leafhoppers than all the species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals combined. Although there have been about 20,000 species recognized, some scientists suspect there could be well over 100,000 species.
btweenblinks 
They are a strange looking bug.
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Very TRUE. And more TRUE than years ago, when leafhoppers were classified under the order Homoptera. Recent paleontological and DNA evidence places leafhoppers in the order Hemiptera (TRUE bugs) as part of the suborder Homoptera.
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That’s a very interesting fact about how many species there are! Nice capture.
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Thanks Melanie! The great mystery is “why are there so many species?” Some speculation about the range of diversity includes their relatively long evolutionary history, and their success at inhabiting a wide range of habitats and climates.
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these are quite beautiful, especially for pests.
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They are beautiful, but this particular variety is not one of the more showy and colorful leafhopper species.
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Rick, lovely little critters, looks like the blue-green sharpshooter
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Thanks so much Uncle Bruce, for the identification! I spent a couple hours roaming the internet, trying to figure out what species this was. I guess I should have asked you first, especially since they were on grape leaves. I hope your grapes not plagued with these little rascals. Even though there are quite a few leafhoppers on the foliage, there is very little evidence of damage to the plants.
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Hello Rick, I wonder where the other 80,000 species are hiding!
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