''Ledra aurita'' or the eared leafhopper is a species of bug in the family Cicadellidae. It is the only species of the subfamily Ledrinae that lives in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, including the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

Distribution & habitat

''Ledra aurita'' lives in the deciduous forests of Europe and Asia, where it is mostly found in the treetops. Though common in some areas, it is hard to spot due to its bark-like

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

. The species can be found on lichen-covered

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s, especially

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

Description

The species is large and grey with ear-like projections on the pronotum. They are long.

Lifestyle

The eared leafhopper is adapted to life on tree bark. Both the nymphs and the adult animals are very well camouflaged and can be hard to notice against a barky background. They feed on sap from the leaves and branches of deciduous trees and bushes with their specially built, tree-piercing mouthparts. The species is polyphagous, which means that it is not very particular about its food. Although it prefers oaks, it also eats from a large number of other woody plants such as birch or poplar and occasionally linden, beech, apple, maple, alder and hazel trees. Adults like to fly towards light at night and can sometimes be found near human habitation.

References

Ledrinae Hemiptera of Europe {{Cicadellidae-stub