#oncometopia

Sharpshooter molting, Oncometopia sp., Cicadellidae (leafhoppers)

Photographed in Costa Rica by fedecrc

Normal coloration on a similar species:

Special Edition : Pink Leafhoppers

From my thousands of posts on leafhoppers, or perhaps a few less, it has become clear that there are a lot of cool leafhoppers ! ! But this post right here is for the ones rocking the pink aesthetic, the ones who all look very bonita <333

@jyn-azris her you go, I hope you will like it :DD

Coppery Leafhopper - Jikradia olitoria

Gyponana gladia

Declivara ornamenta

Subgenus Oncometopia

Neozygina apacha

Meet Oncometopia orbona, the Broad-headed Sharpshooter.  Just one of those small jumping type bugs you find in fields, but if you look closely they become fantastical beings bejeweled in eclectic patternings of colors and sculpture.  Persian rugs should be so richly decorated.  

Just another one of Nature’s inventions that puts all our we-can-make-an-atomic-bomb cleverness to shame.  Reminds us to pay attention.

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

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Sharpshooter

Sharpshooter is a term used colloquially to refer to a highly diverse group of leafhoppers of the family Cicadellidae. Oncometopia nigricans (Hemiptera - Cicadellidae), pictured, is one of nearly 20,000 described species in that taxonomic family.

Like all true bugs, this species has piercing-sucking mouthparts, which are used to tap into and feed upon xylem or phloem (sap) tissue of plants. It also has large eyes and excellent visual acuity to avoid detection and capture by potential predators.

Oncometopia nigricans is an American species which as other ones, is considered a pest of several crops, because they can disperse relatively long distances, feed on a great variety of plants, and more importantly, they have the ability to vector (transmit) infectious pathogens from plant to plant. 

Reference: [1]