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Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis)
Photo#90325
Copyright © 2006
Graham Montgomery
Glassy-winged sharpshooter? -
Homalodisca vitripennis
Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA
May 19, 2006
Size: 1.5 cm, maybe
As it sat there, liquid drops came out of its abdomen every once in a while.
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Contributed by
Graham Montgomery
on 16 December, 2006 - 2:54pm
Last updated 7 April, 2007 - 10:19am
Looks like it
There are two species of large sharpshooters in the US that look very similar: the Smoketree Sharpshooter,
Homalodisca liturata
(also known as
H
.
lacerta
), and the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter,
Homalodisca vitripennis
(also known as
H
.
coagulata
), with the easiest difference to spot being the white dots on the head (
H
.
vitripennis
) instead of blobby white stripes (
H
.
liturata
).
Unfortunately, I can say this only about the large species, which I did some investigation on because of a question on one of my images. I have no clue about smaller species. To be 100% sure, it would help to know (even approximately) how big this one was.
Either that, or wait until one of the real experts sees this who knows about the other species.
As for the liquid, this is typical of most of the Homopterans, which tap into plants for food: the sap pressure would be too much for them to hold on to everything they drink, so they let some of it pass through, taking out as many nutrients as they can. The liquid is called honeydew, and it also serves the purpose of giving ants a reason to protect them and carry them to new hosts.
Update: at the size given (about 15 mm), it would definitely have to be
Homalodisca vitripennis
(that species' maximum size is 14 mm).
Moved to guide.
…
Chuck Entz
, 16 December, 2006 - 6:58pm
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