Family: Cicadellidae
Subfamily: Deltocephalinae
Length: males 4.0-4.5 mm; females 5.0-5.5
Japananus hyalinus was first described from the United States (1900) but was believed to be an import from Japan, hidden in a shipment of Japanese Maples. Fourteen years later, the species was reported from Japan.
The photos here were made between June and September, and that is when adult Japananus hyalinus are most likely to be seen in West Virginia.
In the last few years scientific journals have carried many articles documenting the expanding range of this species, to new locales ranging from Italy, Germany, and Slovenia to Australia.
The species name hyalinus refers to the glass-like (transparent and colorless) wings.
Reports of Japananus hyalinus indicate that most females have reddish wing veins, while males never do. It has also been reported that the largest males are all smaller than the smallest females.
