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How to identify it
- Adults are tiny, under 3 mm (about 0.12 inch) long, with the wedge-shaped head and folded wings of a typical leafhopper.[1][2]
- The wings and head carry a pattern of spots; UF/IFAS describes a mottled brown, yellow and white wing pattern, and the PNW handbook calls the adults yellowish green.[1][2]
- Seen from the front, the head has five pairs of black spots. This sets it apart from every other Eupteryx leafhopper.[1]
- Nymphs are green, wingless and hairy, and like the adults they hop. Adults jump quickly when disturbed.[1][2]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Sage leafhopper | Another Eupteryx found in the United States on similar herbs, but it has fewer than six black spots on the front of the head.[1] |
| Thrips and spider mite damage | The pale stippling from heavy Ligurian leafhopper feeding can be mistaken for thrips or mite injury; look for the tiny hopping insects on the plants.[2] |
Where it lives
Native to the Mediterranean coasts of Italy and France around the Ligurian Sea, it spread through Europe from the 1980s, possibly on imported catnip, and reached the United Kingdom and Poland. By 2020, UF/IFAS counted US reports from eight states, though the Pennsylvania and Florida records were interceptions on plants, and it was first detected in Oregon that year.[1][2]
Biology and life cycle
Females lay eggs inside stems, leaf tissue and leaf stalks, where they are nearly impossible to see. In Italy most of the population is thought to overwinter as eggs, which hatch in 20 to 26 days at 20 C (68 F).[1][2]
Nymphs pass through five stages over about 20 days before becoming adults.[1][2]
It feeds by piercing leaves and drawing out the contents of leaf cells. Several adults may share a single plant.[1][2]
Hosts are plants in the mint family, including sage, rosemary, lemon balm, basil, marjoram, oregano, thyme and mint. Its spread is thought to have been helped by the commercial shipping of these plants.[1][2]
Damage and signs
- Feeding causes stippling and yellowing that get worse as numbers rise. In its native range it has been linked to severe yellowing and drying of branches on sage and rosemary.[1][2]
- Damage may reduce the vigor and look of herbs, which matters for plants sold for food or in nurseries. Related Eupteryx feeding has lowered essential oil content in oregano, so mint oil yields could suffer if it reached damaging numbers.[1]
- It has not been shown to transmit any plant diseases.[1]
Health risk
It is a plant feeder on herbs; neither source describes any risk to people or pets.[1][2]
Control
Traps and physical control
In Poland, herb growers reduce numbers by vacuuming plants and hanging yellow sticky traps during the growing season.[1]
Biological control
In Britain, Eupteryx eggs were parasitized by wasps resembling Anagrus atomus; such wasps may be worth studying as biological control.[1]
Pesticides
In Switzerland, several applications of a neem seed product gave effective control on rosemary grown in high tunnels. US guidance is limited; the PNW handbook gives no management recommendations because its pest status is still unknown.[1][2]
Common questions
- What is making the leaves of my sage and rosemary pale and speckled?
- It may be the Ligurian leafhopper, a tiny Mediterranean leafhopper whose feeding leaves stippled, yellowing leaves on mint-family herbs; similar damage can come from thrips or mites.[1][2]
- How do I know it's a Ligurian leafhopper and not another one?
- Look at the face with a hand lens: the Ligurian leafhopper has five pairs of black spots on the front of the head.[1]
Sources
- University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS), “Ligurian leafhopper, Eupteryx decemnotata (Rey) (EENY-750/IN1290).” journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/116009 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (Oregon State University, Washington State University and University of Idaho Extension), “Mint-Ligurian leafhopper (PNW Insect Management Handbook, agronomic crops).” pnwhandbooks.org/insect/agronomic/mint/mint-ligurian-leafhopper (accessed 2026-11-09)
- iNaturalist, “Eupteryx decemnotata taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/430532 (accessed 2026-11-09)