Maple Leafhopper – Alebra albostriella

Maple Leafhopper (Alebra albostriella)

Common Name: Maple Leafhopper

Latin Name: Alebra albostriella

Appearance:

• Eggs are about 1/32 inch long.
• This leafhopper is easily identified by its greenish-yellow head and whitish/translucent wings with three rusty to dark brown bands across them.
• Males are somewhat shorter than females (3/16 inch length).

Host plant:

Basswood, beech, cheery, oak, elm, and hawthorn are primary host plants

Territory:

Maple Leafhopperare is widely found in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Life history and habits:

This leafhopper spends the winter as eggs placed beneath the bark near buds on the most recent twig growth. Eggs are around 1/32 inch long; sometimes, the ends of the eggs can be seen through the crack in the bark made by the female when she inserts the egg. The eggs hatch next spring, and the small young nymphs begin to feed from the phloem tissue on the bottom surfaces of leaves in the shadier sections of the tree. Nymphs mature through five stages before molting into adults in mid-June. It has been stated that it only has one generation every year.