Hidden jewels of the rainforest: leafhoppers

6 Jan 2010

Costa Rica

Over the past couple of years I have unintentionally encountered an incredible diversity of leafhoppers, small insects that most people probably don’t notice despite their incredible coloration. Beyond their diversity, what has been so surprising to me is the similarities between leafhoppers in different parts of the world. For example:

Andasibe (Madagascar)

Suriname

Nosy Mangabe (Madagascar)

Sumatra (Indonesia)

Ranomafana (Madagascar)

But while leadhoppers can be beautiful, they are no friend to plants. These sap-sucking bugs can transmit deadly pathogens to plants and wreak havoc in low-diversity agricultural landscapes.

Here are some other leafhoppers (and maybe some planthoppers) from recent travels. I’ve only posted ones with similar body form — there are more than 20,000 species of leafhoppers described to date. Leafhoppers aren’t limited to rainforests. They are found all over the world — in the tropics as well as temperate zones.

I don’t know anything about these particular insects other then where I photographed them.

Suriname

Brazil

Madagascar

Suriname

Madagascar

Costa Rica

Sumatra (Indonesia)

Costa Rica

Brazil

Suriname

Sumatra (Indonesia)

Madagascar

Credits

Rhett Butler Editor

Topics

Carving up the Cardamoms

Young activists risk all to defend Cambodia’s environment

Andy Ball, Marta Kasztelan 2 Jul 2025

Across the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in southwest Cambodia, communities have alleged abuse at the hands of the project developer. Image by Gerald Flynn / Mongabay.

Indigenous community calls out Cambodian REDD+ project as tensions simmer in the Cardamoms

Gerald Flynn 10 Mar 2025

A Ministry of Environment ranger on patrol in the Cardamom Mountains. Image by Andyb3947 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Cambodian carbon credit project hit by rights abuse claims is reinstated

Gerald Flynn 11 Sep 2024

The sprawling Stung Meteuk hydropower dam being developed in the Cardamom Mountains appears to be illegally logging within Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary. Image by Gerald Flynn / Mongabay.

History repeats as logging linked to Cambodian hydropower dam in Cardamoms

Gerald Flynn, Vutha Srey 27 Jun 2024

The Cardamom Mountains sprawl across southwestern Cambodia and are among the best-preserved rainforests in the country. Protected by rugged terrain, heavy rains and a low population density, the Cardamoms remain a biodiversity hotspot, providing habitat for threatened elephants, pangolins and the region’s last viable fishing cat population. This Special Issues documents the myriad threats facing […]

Carving up the Cardamoms series