Leafhopper

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/leafhopper

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Cicadellidae
2. What do leafhoppers eat?Leafhoppers sip sugary plant juice from the phloem. The sap has lots of sugar but not enough amino acids or fats, so they need extra help to stay healthy.
3. How do leafhoppers jump so far?Their hind legs have powerful muscles and a special exoskeleton that stores energy. This lets them leap more than 100 times their own body length to escape danger.

Saltation: The act of leaping or jumping, particularly as a mode of locomotion.
Phloem Sieve Elements: Specialized cells within plant phloem that transport sugars and nutrients.
Endosymbiosis: A symbiotic relationship where one organism lives inside another organism.
Phytoplasma: A type of bacteria that lives in the phloem of plants and is transmitted by leafhoppers, causing disease.