Glassy-winged Sharpshooter vs Yucca Plant Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Yucca Plant Bug
Scientific Name Homalodisca vitripennis Halticotoma valida
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadellidae Miridae
Size 12-14 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Woodlands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Sap Feeders Herbivores
Regions Southeastern US, California, introduced to Tahiti and Hawaii North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Glassy-winged Sharpshooter

A large leafhopper that spreads Pierce's disease bacteria devastating to grapevines. It feeds on xylem sap and can process 300 times its body weight in fluid daily.

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Did You Know?

It excretes so much liquid while feeding that it produces a fine rain beneath infested plants.

Yucca Plant Bug

A dark metallic blue plant bug that feeds on yucca plants in the arid Southwest. Heavy infestations can cause yellowing and dieback of yucca leaves.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few insects specialized to feed on the tough, waxy leaves of yucca plants.