Grassland Leafhoppers
Leafhoppers are one of the most diverse and abundant families of grassland
insects. Many species feed only on one or a few closely related species
of grass and others specialize on a variety of other herbaceous plants common
in grassland ecosystems. The largest leafhopper subfamily, Deltocephalinae,
comprises the vast majority of these grass-feeding species. Thus, the origin
and spread of grasslands during the Oligocene and Miocene (15-25 million
years ago) may have played a major role in the evolutionary diversification
of Deltocephalinae.