Common Lacehopper vs Long-tailed Sylph

Cixius nervosus compared with Aglaiocercus kingii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Lacehopper	Long-tailed Sylph
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family	Cixiidae	Trochilidae
Genus	Cixius	Aglaiocercus
Species	Cixius nervosus	Aglaiocercus kingii

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Lacehopper and Long-tailed Sylph share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Lacehopper

LC — Least Concern

Long-tailed Sylph

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Lacehopper	Long-tailed Sylph
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Lacehopper

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Long-tailed Sylph

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common Lacehopper

The Common Lacehopper (<em>Cixius nervosus</em>) is a planthopper insect in the family Cixiidae, classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is native to Europe, with records from five European countries, and also occurs in the United States in North America. The species typically inhabits virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats within its range, demonstrating broad ecological tolerance. Lacehoppers are hemipteran insects that feed on plant sap and are often associated with roots or low-growing vegetation. Adults typically emerge in summer and are capable of short flights between host plants. The Common Lacehopper's widespread distribution and occurrence across a variety of natural and semi-natural habitats support its stable conservation status. Its role in food webs as a prey item for insectivorous birds and other invertebrate predators gives it ecological significance within temperate ecosystems. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Long-tailed Sylph

One of the most strikingly ornamented hummingbirds, male long-tailed sylphs have iridescent green plumage and dramatically elongated, ribbon-like outer tail feathers reaching up to 22 cm — over three times the body length. Found in Andean cloud forests of Colombia and Venezuela, they inhabit humid montane forest between 1,400–2,800 meters elevation. Males perform elaborate display flights to attract females. Their extravagant tails are a classic example of sexual selection via female preference.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway