Explanation of Names
Graphocephala versuta (Say 1830)
versutus = 'cunning'
Size
~6 mm (generally smaller than other common congeners except G. coccinea)
Identification
typical form: forewings green with several black tooth-like markings at apex (a diagnostic feature); pale blue stripe (sometimes bordered on both sides by an orange stripe) runs diagonally from anal angle to base of costa, continuing along margin of pronotum to front of head; scutellum yellow with several thin black lines; pronotum green; top of head light brown or orangish with pale blue stripe along midline; hindwings dark reddish-brown; abdomen yellow; metathorax black
another form has mostly blue forewings with red diagonal stripes; colors in prepared specimens often fade
Range
e. US (NY-FL to IL-TX) & CA to Costa Rica
(1)(BG data)
Season
most of the year in the south; warmer months in the north
Food
leaves of blackberry, grape, honeysuckle, privet (Ligustrum spp.), cherry and various other deciduous trees
Life Cycle
up to four generations per year; overwinters as an adult
Remarks
Some individuals may be vectors of the bacterium (
Xylella fastidiosa) that causes
Pierce's Disease in grapes, and
Bacterial Leaf Scorch in a variety of deciduous trees.
Genetic information shows that this species is not closely related to the other "candy-stripe" leafhoppers in the U.S. and Canada. It morphologically shares affinities most close to the neotropical genus Isogonalia and may in fact belong within that genus.
