Beet Leafhopper vs Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Beet Leafhopper Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada
Scientific Name Circulifer tenellus Okanagana hesperia
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadellidae Cicadidae
Size 3-3.5 mm 20-28 mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Western North America, Mediterranean, Middle East North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Beet Leafhopper

A small pale green to tan leafhopper that transmits curly top virus to sugar beets, tomatoes, and beans. It breeds on desert weeds and migrates to cultivated crops.

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Did You Know?

Curly top virus transmitted by this leafhopper nearly destroyed the sugar beet industry in the western United States in the early 1900s.

Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada

A medium-sized dark cicada found in sagebrush steppe and desert grasslands. Males call from low shrubs during the heat of summer afternoons.

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Did You Know?

Its nymphs may spend up to five years underground feeding on root fluids before emerging as adults.