Family: Cicadellidae
Subfamily: Deltocephalinae
Length: typically about 4.2 mm
This attractive member of the family Cicadellidae is found in a variety of habitats ranging from coastal salt marshes to upland Oak-Hickory forests. Thomas Say first described Sanctanus sanctus in 1831 from a specimen he had collected in Indiana. Among the states reporting the species are: Massachusetts, Illinois Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The species has also been collected in southern Ontario. As with many other leafhoppers, this species is attracted to lights.
Left: Lateral view of Sanctanus sanctus.
A similar species, Sanctanus cruciatus (not pictured) has more dark markings on the head, and the light-colored spot near the center of the commissure is shaped like a handlebar moustache.
