The glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis, formerly known as H. coagulata) is a large leafhopper (family Cicadellidae), similar to other species of sharpshooter. It is native to southeastern United States. It is of economic concern in California because it can spread the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa.

Description

thumb|left|Glassy-winged sharpshooter underside

These sharpshooters are about in length. Their color is dark brown to black with black-and-yellow undersides, with yellow eyes, and the upper parts of the head and back are speckled with ivory or yellowish spots. The wings are transparent with reddish veins.

They have piercing, sucking mouthparts and rows of fine spines on their hind legs.

They eject up to 300 times their body weight in liquid waste each day thanks to an energy-saving technique known as superpropulsion, where an oscillating surface ejects a liquid droplet at a speed higher than the surface itself.

Life history

Glassy-winged sharpshooters usually lay a mass of eggs on the underside of leaves, and they cover them with powdery white protective secretions kept in dry form (called "brochosomes") on the wings. After the nymphs hatch, the remaining egg mass leaves a brown mark on the leaf's surface. The nymphs feed within the vascular system of the small stems on the plant where the eggs were deposited. After several molts, the nymphs become adult glassy-winged sharpshooters.

Further reading

  • PIPRA - Pierce's Disease Website
  • CDFA PD/GWSS Board Interactive Forum
  • Organization fighting the potential of infestation in Northern California
  • Biocontrol of the GWSS in French Polynesia
  • glassy-winged sharpshooter on the University of Florida / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Featured Creatures website
  • CISR - Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Fact Sheet with photos
  • Species Profile - Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (Homalodisca coagulata), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. Lists general information and resources for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter.