| Graphocephala coccinea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Auchenorrhyncha |
| Family: | Cicadellidae |
| Genus: | Graphocephala |
| Species: | G. coccinea |
| Binomial name | |
| Graphocephala coccinea (Forster, 1771) | |
| Synonyms | |
Graphocephala coccinea is ameadow andwoodland-dwelling species of brightly coloredleafhopper native to North and Central America, from Canada south to Panama.[1]Common names includecandy-striped leafhopper,red-banded leafhopper,scarlet-and-green leafhopper,red-and-blue leafhopper, andsharpshooter.
Adults measure 6.7–8.4 mm in length and have vivid blue (or green) and red (or orange-red) stripes on theirwings and the top of theirthorax combined with bright yellow coloration on their head, legs,abdomen, and elsewhere.
Leafhoppers feed onplant sap with the aid of specialized mouthparts.
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G. coccinea has been identified as one of several leafhopper species that is avector in leaf scorch caused by thegammaproteobacteriaXylella fastidiosa ("Pierce's disease").X. fastidiosa is responsible for the decline of certainwoody plants such aselm,oak, and otherornamental trees.[2] According to aresearchentomologist at theUnited States National Arboretum, "An understanding of the transmission of thisbacterium by insect vectors is economically important because there is neither any known effective therapy for infected trees andshrubs nor a strategy for preventing infection."[3] In California they damage valuable crops[4] and in Germany they are a nuisance to people sitting under trees in public parks.[5]
At least three subspecies ofG. coccinea have been named:G. coccinea confluenta,G. coccinea punctata, andG. coccinea sambuci (all Olsen 1918).[1]
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Media related toGraphocephala coccinea at Wikimedia Commons