| Auchenorrhyncha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Red-banded leafhopper,Graphocephala coccinea | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Auchenorrhyncha Duméril, 1805 |
| Infraorders | |
TheAuchenorrhyncha suborder of theHemiptera contains most of the familiar members of what was called the "Homoptera" – groups such ascicadas,leafhoppers,treehoppers,planthoppers, andspittlebugs. Theaphids andscale insects are the other well-known "Homoptera", and they are in the suborderSternorrhyncha.
Distributed worldwide, all members of this group are plant-feeders, and many are vectors of viral and fungal diseases of plants.
It is also common for Auchenorrhyncha species to produce either audible sounds orsubstrate vibrations as a form of communication. Such calls range from vibrations inaudible to humans, to the calls of many species ofcicadas that can be heard for hundreds of metres, at least. In season, they produce the most characteristic and ubiquitous noise of the bush.
The word "Auchenorrhyncha" is derived from theGreek wordsαὐχήν (auchēn), meaning "neck" or "throat," andῥύγχος (rhynchos), meaning "snout".[1]
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Debate and uncertainty as to whether the Auchenorrhyncha is amonophyletic group or not is ongoing; some authors, believing it was not, split it into two suborders, theClypeorrhyncha (=Cicadomorpha) and theArchaeorrhyncha (=Fulgoromorpha).[2] In the last 10 years, there has been evidence to support the monophyletic interpretation, and the most recent research indicates the Auchenorrhyncha are in fact a monophyletic lineage.[3] A classification of the Auchenorrhyncha is:[4]
