Unidentified bug, can anyone help?

shardman · #1 (**permalink**) 08-07-2011, 06:01 PM

Sorry to ask again but this one doesn't seem to be in my guide books (it probably is but I can't see it!). It's a couple of mm long and was found in meadow/grassland yesterday. I think it's a bug but i could easily be wrong.

Any help would be very welcome!

Jason Green · #2 (**permalink**) 08-07-2011, 06:09 PM

Hello Sam,

It is indeed a bug, but too immature to identify to species-level I'd have thought. You may get to family though, if someone else stops by. To me it could be Cicadellidae - the Leaf-hoppers.

Take care,

Jason

shardman · #3 (**permalink**) 08-07-2011, 08:06 PM

I was thinking along similar lines, I have two of these, on one of them very reduced wings are visible, on this one they aren't, I don't know why that is.

Anyway, thanks again!

Sam

Jason Green · #4 (**permalink**) 08-07-2011, 08:33 PM

Sounds like two nymphal stages; no wings = first stage, then as the wings get less stubbier the stages go up to four or five before the final moult reveals the adult (though some aren't fully-winged, either by sex or species).

I'm sure I'll be corrected if anything contained above is erroneous!

smj_115 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-07-2011, 09:04 PM

I would totally agree with Jason. The bristly hind legs suggest it is a leaf hopper and the developmental differences suggest different nymphal stages.