Inventory of conservative Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera) of 15 hill prairies from the Peoria area

Terrestrial arthropods, in particular Auchenorrhyncha (i.e., leafhoppers, planthoppers, cicadas, and spittlebugs) are some of the most speciose and abundant groups of organisms in grassland ecosystems. Conservative estimates suggest that the Illinois prairie may harbor as many as 300 conservative auchenorrhynchous species (DeLong 1948, Panzer et al. 1995, and Hamilton 2005). Hill prairies, which have remained relatively untouched by intensive agriculture and development (Robertson et al. 1997), may have a disproportional greater number of these species. Thus, the focus of this report is to list all the conservative auchenorrhynchous species encountered from the 15 hill prairies sampled of Peoria and Marshall Counties.