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Photo#569188
Unknown Sharpshooter - Draeculacephala balli

Unknown Sharpshooter - Draeculacephala balli
Mobile (Dog River), Mobile County, Alabama, USA
August 15, 2011
Found in St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum). It looks like Draeculacephala but nothing with a black, blunt nose and notable differences in venation. I have not found anything with a cross vein in the vein closest to the scutellum. What is this leafhopper? Thanks

Moved
Moved from Sharpshooters.

I vote
draculacephala. I think that the nose got damaged.

 
I Agree
it's likely something in Draeculacephala. As for the nose, I've seen two different specimens with the same black, blunt nose. More importantly, is the divided basal vein. Never seen that before in any Draeculacephala. Notice the difference in venation of D. balli. If Andy isn't familiar with it, looks like I'll have to collect one ... and aspirating hoppers ain't easy :)

 
Andy Hamilton's Comments
Dr. Hamilton commented on the differences in venation:
This kind of thing is common in Homoptera, which have the forewings modified as “tegmina” or leathery coverings for the hind wings. Crossveins and sometimes even some of the longitudinal veins are no longer under tight selection pressure for flight control, and consequently there is a lot of variation within species (especially species with reticulate venation) and still more between closely allied genera.

 
Draeculacephala balli
the spots are distinctive

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