How are leafhopper specimens prepared for study?
Leafhoppers are usually mounted dry on pins or point mounts. Pins should be used for only the largest specimens and should be inserted through the mesothorax just to the right of center. Point mounts should be glued to the right side of the thorax. A label that includes the locality and date of collection, the name of the collector, and the host plant, if known, should be pinned beneath the specimen. To identify the specimen to species it is often necessary to examine the male genitalia. To do this, the abdomen is removed and soaked in 10% potassium hydroxide solution for several hours (or boiled in the same solution for a few minutes) to clear the pigment. The abdomen is then rinsed in clean water containing a small amount of glacial acetic acid, rinsed again in pure water, and immersed in glycerine. After examination, the cleared abdomen is stored in a glass or plastic microvial pinned beneath the rest of the specimen. Leafhoppers may also be preserved indefinitely in 80-95% ethanol.
