Homoptera (Noun)
Meaning
Plant lice (aphids); whiteflies; cicadas; leafhoppers; plant hoppers; scale insects and mealybugs; spittle insects.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Homoptera is a diverse order of insects including plant lice, cicadas, and leafhoppers, with some sources placing the superfamily Aphidoidea in a separate order, Aphidomorpha.
- Some members of Homoptera have undergone adaptive radiation resulting in complex associations with specific plants, often acting as agricultural pests.
- Researchers previously used Homoptera to categorize whiteflies and scale insects together due to the structural similarity in their wings and legs.
- It's estimated there are more than 40,000 species in Homoptera order and among these leafhoppers are thought to comprise one of the most numerous species within it.
- They grouped certain spittle bugs under Homoptera until subsequent molecular and anatomical reclassification found significant difference warranting establishment as distinct cicadomorpha infraorder within a Hemiptera.