Cicadas and Leaf Hoppers (Homoptera)

Cicadas and Leaf Hoppers are insects with long needle shaped mouthparts. If present there are two pairs of membranous wings, usually folded over the body in the shape of a roof. The antennae are very short. Because of the mouth parts they share an order with the bugs and the plant lice. Not only are most cicadas good flyers, many are excellent jumpers as well. There is a lot going on about dividing cicadas in genera and families. And it still seems to be changing constantly. That is why we have decided to keep out of this controverse and not mention any family name. Some cicadas are difficult to identify from pictures. Especially many of the small species are extremely similar. Good guides, books and internet sites on identification are scarce. The only secure way to tell certain species apart is by examining the genitals. In order to be able to do so, one has to kill the animal and that is something we don't do.