See text A planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha,[1] in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha,[2] a group exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide.

Fulgoromorphs are most reliably distinguished from the other Auchenorrhyncha by two features; the bifurcate (Y-shaped) anal vein in the forewing, and the thickened, three-segmented antennae, with a generally round or egg-shaped second segment (pedicel) that bears a fine filamentous arista.

Planthoppers are laterally flattened and hold their broad wings vertically, in a tent-like fashion, concealing the sides of the body and part of the legs.

[7] A number of extinct planthopper taxa are known from the fossil record, such as the Lutetian-age Emiliana from the Green River Formation (Eocene) in Colorado.

[3] One species considered to be a pest is Haplaxius crudus, which is a vector for lethal yellowing, a palm disease that nearly killed off the Jamaican Tall coconut variety.