Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are small members of the True-bug order, Hemiptera, with hind legs modified for jumping. They feed on plants by draining the sap with modified mouthparts, leading many species to be regarded as agricultural pests. Immature leafhoppers (Nymphs) are similar to the adults, there is no metamorphosis on reaching maturity. The group are extremely successful, with over 20 000 described species, many of which are extremely widespread, and a fossil record dating back to the Early Cretaceous.
In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 15 November 2012, Adenomar Neves de Carvalho of the Instituto de Biodiversidade e Florestas at the Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, describes a new species of Leafhopper from the Roraima and Amazonas States of northern Brazil.
The new species is placed in the genus Paraportanus, which is widespread in Brazil and Peru, and given the specific name longispinus, meaning 'long-spines', a reference to the male reproductive organ. Paraportanus longispinus is a 5 mm yellow and brown Leafhopper.
Paraportanus longispinus, male specimen. Neves de Carvalho (2012).
See also Four new species of Leafhopper from Southern Africa, A new species of Leaf Bug from the Mangrove Forests of Singapore and Thailand, Two new species of True Bug from the Mesozoic of China and An Assassin Bug from the Palaeocene of Spitsbergen Island.
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