__NOTOC__ ''Synophropsis lauri'', sometimes called the bay leafhopper, is a species of

leafhopper A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and a ...

of the subfamily Deltocephalinae, tribe

Fieberiellini __NOTOC__ Fieberiellini is a tribe of leafhoppers in the subfamily '' Deltocephalinae''. In the review by Zahniser & Dietrich (2013) it includes 48 species placed in 10 genera. Species in this tribe are native to the Palaearctic region, mainly t ...

. It is the only species in the genus ''Synophropsis''.

Description

The

hemelytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

vary from greyish to brick-red (some sources say the males are grey, females red) and are somewhat translucent with the

veins Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

showing up as whitish. The wings darken towards the tips. There are small dark marks along the suture and at the distal ends of some of the long veins. The head is yellowish and the

vertex Vertex, vertices or vertexes may refer to: Science and technology Mathematics and computer science *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines, or edges meet *Vertex (computer graphics), a data structure that describes the position ...

is sharply pointed. Antennae are filamentous and very long. Size: up to 6.5mm long, or even 7mm. Nymphs are green, and over-winter. The species is normally said to be univoltine, but it is possible that the females hibernate and produce a second generation.

Origin and spread

The species was first described, as ''Thamnotettix lauri'', by

Géza Horváth Géza Horváth (; 23 November 1847 – 8 September 1937) was a Hungarian doctor and entomologist internationally recognized for his work on bugs ( Hemiptera). He also contributed extensively to the study of Hungarian scale insect fauna. He pub ...

in 1897 from specimens taken in Fiume (

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

) and Buccari ( Bakar) on the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

coast of what is now Croatia. Nearly 30 years later,

Hermann Haupt Hermann Haupt (24 January 1873, in Langensalza, Unstrut-Hainich, Thuringia – 2 June 1959, in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt) was a German entomologist who worked mainly on Auchenorrhyncha and Hymenoptera. He was an intermediate school (Mittelschule) teac ...

independently described a single male taken in Gravosa ( Gruž), some 260 miles (420 km) further southeast. Haupt placed it in a new genus as ''Synophropsis wagneri''. As these are now regarded as descriptions of the same species, Horvath's specific name has priority even though Haupt's new genus is accepted. Throughout much of the 20th century it was regarded as a pontomediterranean species, i.e. inhabiting the area between the Black Sea (''ho pontos'' to the ancient Greeks) and the Mediterranean. Since then it has expanded its range rapidly northwards and westwards. It has been known in France, initially

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, since 1972, and in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

since 2000. In 2008–09 it was discovered in Hamburg and Öhringen, two widely separated locations in Germany, and also at

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

in Belgium. It reached the London area in 2007, and has since been found elsewhere in the United Kingdom – the insect in the taxobox was seen in Cambridge in 2014.

Host plants

''Synophropsis lauri'' is polyphagous on evergreen broad-leaved trees and shrubs. It was first described as frequenting, and takes its specific name from, the European bay laurel ('' Laurus nobilis''). This tree, now cultivated far outside its natural Mediterranean range, is a favourite where available. In western Europe specimens of ''S. lauri'' have mostly been taken from ivy ('' Hedera helix''). In Turkey ''S. lauri'' is listed as a minor pest of olive (''

Olea europea The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

'') groves.

References

Hemiptera of Europe Cicadellidae genera Monotypic Hemiptera genera Fieberiellini {{Deltocephalinae-stub