Homoptera Families
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
1. Mouthparts apparently arising from caudal portion of head
2. Tarsi 3 segmented
3. Antennae usually very short and bristlelike
4. Coumpound eyes and wings usually present
5. Often jumping insects
Superfamily: Cicadoidea
Cicadidae (cicadas)
Characteristics
1. Large insects with front wings membranous.
2. Males with sound producing organs ventrally at base of abdomen
3. Not jumping insects
Membracidae (treehoppers)
Characteristics
1. Pronotum broadly extended over wings and abdomen
2. Usually jumping insects
Cercopidae (froghoppers, spittlebugs)
Characteristics
1. Hind tibiae with a circlet or crown of spines at tip
2. Usually jumping insects
Cicadellidae (leafhoppers)
Characteristics
1. Hind tibiae without a circlet or crown of spines at tip
2. Hind tibiae with 1 or more small spines
3. Usually jumping insects
Superfamily: Fulgoroidea
Delphacidae (delphacid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Hind tibiae with broad movable apical spur
2. Sexes often different
3. Highly variable species
Dictyopharidae (dictyopharid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Head prolonged in front
2. Front wings not overlapping at apex
Fulgoridae (fulgorid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Anal area of hind wings reticulate, with many cross veins
Achilidae (achilid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Front wings overlapping at apex
2. Body somewhat flattened
Flatidae (flatid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Front wing with numerous costal cross veins, longer than body, at rest held almost vertically at sides of body.
2. Second segment of hind tarsi with 2 apical spines
Acanaloniidae (acanoloniid planthoppers)
Characteristics
1. Front wings very broad, veination reticulate, longer than body, at rest held almost vertically at sides of body
2. Second segment of hind tarsi without apical spines
Suborder: Sternorrhyncha
1. Mouthparts apparently arising from between front coxae
2. Tarsi 1-2 segmented
3. Antennae usually long and filiform
4. Early instars lack compound eyes and wing pads, except Psyllidae
5. Often not active insects
Superfamily: Psylloidea
Psyllidae (psyllids)
Characteristics
1. Tarsi 2 segmented with two claws
2. Antennae with 5-10 segments
3. Front wings thicker than hind wings
Superfamily: Aleyrodoidea (whiteflies)
Aleyrodidae (whiteflies)
Characteristics
1. Tarsi 2 segmented with two claws
2. Antennae with 3-7 segments
3. Wings usually opaque, whitish, and covered with whitish powder
4. Hind wings nearly as large as fore wings
Superfamily: Aphidoidea
Aphididae (aphids or plantlice)
Characteristics
1. Cornicles present
2. Antennae usually 6 segmented
Adelgidae (pine and spruce aphids)
Characteristics
1. Cornicles absent
2. Antennae 3-5 segmented
3. Wings held rooflike ove body
5. On conifers
Superfamily: Coccoidea
1. Tarsi 1 segmented with a single claw
2. Females wingless and often legless
3. Males with only 1 pair of wings and without beak
Coccidae (soft scales, wax scales, tortoise scales)
Characteristics
1. Abdomen with well-developed anal cleft
Diaspididae (armored scales)
Characteristics
1. Body covered by thin, shieldlike scale
2. Abdomen without well-developed anal cleft
Pseudococcidae (mealybugs)
Characteristics
1. Body covered by white, powdery secretion
2. Abdomen without well-developed anal cleft