Columbian Flower Planthopper vs Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Columbian Flower Planthopper Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter
Scientific Name Poekilloptera phalaenoides Homalodisca liturata
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Flatidae Cicadellidae
Size 15-20 mm 11-13 mm
Habitat Farmland Indoors
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Central America, South America North America, Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Columbian Flower Planthopper

A large and spectacular flatid with broad white wings marked with black spots, closely resembling a moth. Groups of nymphs produce masses of white waxy filaments on branches.

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Did You Know?

Clusters of waxy-coated nymphs on a branch can look like a fungal growth or cotton mass, providing effective communal camouflage.

Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter

A large leafhopper native to the southwestern US and Mexico closely related to the glassy-winged sharpshooter. It is a vector of xylem-dwelling plant pathogens.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most leafhoppers, it feeds on xylem sap which is so nutrient-poor it must process enormous volumes daily.