Orientus ishidae


Orientus ishidae, the Japanese leafhopper or mosaic leafhopper, is a species of leafhopper belonging to the family Cicadellidae and subfamily Deltocephalinae.

Description

The adults reach of length. This leafhopper shows a distinctive mosaic-like pattern on the forewings and an orange band between the eyes. Orientus ishidae is associated with willow, hornbeam and with many woody plants and deciduous trees. It may cause serious leaf damages to several tree species and is implicated as a vector of the phytoplasmic flavescence dorée disease in vineyards. Adults can be found from June to October.
The nymphs are strongly coloured, the patterning is variable. They often adopt a tail-up posture in response to danger, as seen on the left.

Distribution

This species is endemic to the East Palearctic realm and it is present in the Nearctic realm and the Oriental realm. It has been introduced in United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and in several other European countries.