Family: Cicadellidae
Subfamily: Deltocephalinae
Length: 6.0-7.0 mm
Typically in Idiodonus kennecotti the head is whitish and has a dark, wavy transverse band. The pronotum is cinnamon-colored and has a pale transverse band. The claval suture is boldly marked in white or yellow.
Look for adults of this species in West Virginia in Summer and Fall.
In other leafhopper groups the specialists urge that color and markings are of relatively little use in identification, and that genital characteristics of the male must be studied to properly identify a hopper to species.
In the case of leafhoppers in the genus Idiodonus, however, DeLong (1984) notes, "The male genital structures in this genus are of little or no value" in identification, and so colors, markings, or the female genitalia are used instead. Fortunately, the colors and markings of Idiodonus kennecotti are distinctive and allow for a quick ID.
Idiodonus kennecotti is cold tolerant, found from British Columbia to New Brunswick and south at least as far as North Carolina.
