Empoasca fabae
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) belongs to family Cicadellidae and genus Empoasca within order Hemiptera. In North America they are a serious agricultural pest. Every year millions of dollars are lost from reduced crop yields and on pest management. Crops that are impacted the most are potatoes, clover, beans, apples and alfalfa.
Adults have pale to iridescent green bodies with 6 or 8 white spots on their pronotum. They have a distinctive white H shape mark between their head and wing base. Their bodies are approximately 3 mm long and have on their front wings near its tip a crossvein. Adults and nymphs move by hopping among host plants. However, only adults can fly.
They are able to feed and reproduce on at least 200 different plant species across twenty-six families. In total herb genera represent 64% of their hosts. Adults prefer to feed on the leaves and stems, while the nymphs prefer the leaves. Their specialized mouth parts are able to pierce into the plant tissue and remove its sap. The ability to inhabit a wide range of hosts is due to the variation in their feeding behaviors.
Empoasca fabae is a seasonal migration species. If... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Potato Leafhopper sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 583rd most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Potato Leafhopper in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Potato Leafhopper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Potato Leafhopper sightings, Boston ranks 5th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Baltimore (United States, under 5%), Washington (United States, under 5%) and Dallas (United States, under 5%).
Same family: Cicadellidae
The closest relatives of the Potato Leafhopper that you can see in Boston (family Cicadellidae, Typical Leafhoppers) are Red-Banded Leafhopper (about 20%), Coppery Leafhopper (about 20%) and Versute Sharpshooter (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Potato Leafhopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
