The Diversity of the True Hoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha)

This chapter describes the diversity of the Auchenorrhyncha, for which the authors apply the common name "true hoppers" as shorthand for leafhoppers, planthoppers, treehoppers, froghoppers, and cicadas, and as a parallel appellation for "true bugs" commonly used for Heteroptera. The Auchenorrhyncha are a suborder of Hemiptera, along with the Heteroptera (true bugs), Sternorrhyncha (aphids, scale insects, psyllids, and allies), and Coleorrhyncha (moss bugs). The true hoppers include two lineages, the Cicadomorpha (cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, spittlebugs, and allies) and the Fulgoromorpha (planthoppers). The true hoppers are especially important as vectors of plant pathogens. At present, apparent patterns of diversity may be strongly influenced by irregularities in taxonomic investigations, but they accurately represent the current state of knowledge. The influence of the Auchenorrhyncha on all types of ecosystems is significant. Tight ecological associations between the Auchenorrhyncha and their hosts may make them useful as indicators of ecological health.