 Xestocephalus sp.. | Wow, Xestocephalus has 120 species. This could be X. tesselatus but that's a bit of a guess. Bugguide.net mentions that this leafhopper could be "myrmecophilous" meaning (as I just learned) that the species plays a certain role in an associated host ant colony. bug guide (this photo): http://bugguide.net/node/view/1078460 Rakitov, J. New York Entomol. Soc. 108, 171 (2000): http://tinyurl.com/XESTOCEPHALUS |
 Xestocephalus superbus. | This tiny leafhopper is an "ant-guest" living as an immature in the tunnels of ant nests, where it presumably feeds on the roots of plants. Adults fly around a lot looking for other ant nests. They are quite common in North America but perhaps not so much in Florida. When I posted this photo on bugguide.net, it was the first photo of this species for Florida. I am also intrigued by the rectangular bracket-like patterns on the leafhopper's head.
bug guide (this photo): https://bugguide.net/node/view/1599266 |