Family: Flatidae
Subfamily: Flatinae
Length: typically 8-9 mm
Wilson and McPherson (1980) reported encountering mixed "assemblages" of Ormenoides venusta, Anormenis septentrionalis, Metcalfa pruinosa, and Acanalonia conica. Some of these groups included all four species, while others featured two or three of the species.
The authors noted that the several species shared habitat, food plants, general oviposition sites, and were active at the same season. In fact, "Since so many aspects of their biologies are similar, it would seem disadvantageous for these planthoppers to form assemblages that put them in direction competition for a food source."
The authors concluded that assembling together must offer advantages that outweighed the potential competitive disadvantage. For example, nymphs of all four species secrete wax, and when the secretions of so many hoppers are added together this wax may form an impenetrable barrier for predatory insects and spiders.
