Gargara genistae

Gargara genistae is a species of treehopper in the subfamily Centrotinae.

Description

Gargara genistae is dark brown in colour and reaches body lengths between 3 and 5 millimeters. The prominent and finely haired pronotum is curved upwards and extended backwards into a long, straight projection. In contrast to the similar but significantly larger Centrotus cornutus, this species does not have lateral, ear-shaped outgrowths in the head area. The forewings are brownish translucent and streaked with light brown veins.

Distribution and habitat

The species is widespread in the Holarctic, with the exception of Northern Europe, in the Ethiopian and Oriental regions. The species is also occasionally found in North America, where it was apparently introduced.
The animals live predominantly in dry habitats, in sunny to semi-shady, often warm locations.

Ecology

The larvae and adults feed on plant sap, which they ingest with their specially constructed, piercing-sucking mouthparts. They are oligophagous, i.e. they only feed on the plant species of one plant family. Gargara genistae exclusively suck the sugary phloem sap from the vascular tracts of shrubby Fabaceae, which they partially excrete as honeydew. These include Ononis, Genista, Colutea, Coronilla, Glycyrrhiza and Caragana.