planthoppers.

Planthoppers (infraorder Fulgoromorpha) are one of the largest groups of the Auchenorrhyncha (true hoppers). Unlike the other members of the suborder (i.e., cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, and spittlebugs), they bear distinctive carinae (ridges) on their faces and the bases of the antennae are enlarged.

Not only do planthoppers feed on plants. Some groups are fungivores as nymphs (e.g., Achilidae, Derbidae). Like cicadas, many planthoppers spend their nymphal stages underground, feeding on roots (e.g., Cixiidae) before emerging to the surface as adults (though not always).

My work has focused on investigating the undescribed planthopper diversity in North America north of Mexico, which is particularly striking in the southwestern United States. My work has particularly focused on the Cixiidae and Flatidae.