Rhododendron Leafhopper vs Sirex Woodwasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rhododendron Leafhopper Sirex Woodwasp
Scientific Name Graphocephala fennahi Sirex noctilio
Order Hemiptera Hymenoptera
Family Cicadellidae Siricidae
Size 8-9 mm 15-36 mm
Habitat Underground Farmland
Diet Fungus Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions North America, invasive in Europe Europe, Africa, Australasia, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Rhododendron Leafhopper

A brightly colored red and blue-green leafhopper that feeds on rhododendrons. It vectors a fungus that causes rhododendron bud blast disease.

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Did You Know?

Its vivid candy-stripe coloration makes it one of the most recognizable leafhoppers in gardens.

Sirex Woodwasp

A large blue-black woodwasp that bores into pine trees to lay eggs. It injects a symbiotic fungus into the wood that feeds its developing larvae.

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Did You Know?

Females carry a special fungus in abdominal glands and inoculate trees during egg-laying.