Flat-headed Leafhopper (Reuplemmeles hobartensis)
This unfortunate little bug made it's way in through my bathroom window, whereupon it died. Still, it was an opportunity to have a closer look and to learn more about it. It turned out to be one of the Flat-headed Leafhoppers (subfamily Ledrinae). More specifically, it is Reuplemmeles hobartensis. I've since had that ID confirmed by people far more knowledgable than myself.
The species was first described in 1938 by entomologist John William Evans, a Leaf hopper specialist. The description was based on a specimen he had collected in Hobart, Tasmania, hence the name hobartensis (Hobart is the capital city here in Tasmania). The original specimen is now in the Australian Museum in Sydney. I managed to find the 1938 paper. Here is a small excerpt showing the relevant text. The letters, 'Sp. nov', after the scientific name simply means new species.
Reuteriella hobartensis, sp. nov
Length 6.5mm. Head, pale lemon-yellow, rounded anteriorly; eyes, dark brown. Pronotum, anterior two-thirds yellow, posterior third, and scutellum, pale brown. Tegmen, hyaline, costal border, pale yellow, the remainder pale yellowish-brown. Thorax and abdomen, ventral surface and legs, pale yellow.
Despite it's name, the species has also been recorded on the mainland in Victoria and the south of Western Australia. You'll notice from the large ovipositer (egg-laying organ) that that this individual is a female. All Leaf hoppers feed by sucking sap from plants.
( All photos, videos, and text on this blog are by @mostly.nature with the exception one attributed quote.)
References and Further Reading:
- Evans, JW (1938) Australian leaf-hoppers (Homoptera, Jassoidea): Part 8. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. pp. 1-18. ISSN 0080-4703
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