Orosius argentatus (Evans)

Caution

Many of the insects depicted on these pages are outwardly similar and you should not use photographs as the sole means of identification. These pages form part of a scientific key which will assist a trained entomologist to identify the species accurately.

Orosius argentatus (Evans 1938a)

Common Name: Common Brown Leafhopper

Synonyms: The name Orosius orientalis has also been used for this species. O. orientalis has priority over O. argentatus.

Subfamily/Tribe: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini

Distribution: NSW, ACT, Qld, Vic, SA, NT, WA, Norfolk Island, Fiji, Polynesia, Melanesia, Java, New Britain, Africa

Economic Status: A vector of several phytoplasma diseases including legume little leaf (Hutton and Grylls 1956), tomato big bud (Hill 1941), lucerne witches broom (Helson 1951), potato purple top wilt and pawpaw yellow crinkle (Grylls 1979). It has also been implicated as a possible vector of Grapevine yellows and Pawpaw yellows.

Notes: One of the most common species of Australian leafhoppers with a very wide host range. Pale specimens may be confused with O. canberrensis but are usually slightly smaller and narrower. The colour pattern on the vertex, particularly the posterior branching of the transverse black band, seems to be consistently different between the two species.