The cotton jassid (also known as the two-spot cotton leafhopper or Amrasca biguttula) is an invasive pest recently detected in Texas, posing a significant threat to cotton production and other crops like okra, eggplant, sunflower, and hibiscus. It feeds by injecting saliva into plants, causing leaf curling, yellowing, and potential yield losses up to 50% in severe cases. In Texas, the pest was first identified on hibiscus plants in big box store nurseries, plants shipped from nurseries outside the state and has since been found in cotton fields, including in Fort Bend County south of Houston.

Taxonomy

Scientific Name

Amrasca (Sundapteryx) biguttula (Ishida, 1912)

Taxonomic Position

Arthropoda: Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini

Common Names

Cotton jassid, Okra leafhopper, Two-spot cotton leafhopper, Indian green jassid

Description

Adult cotton jassids measure approximately 1/8 of an inch (2-3 mm) in length and are pale green with yellowish-green wings. They can be distinguished from other leafhopper species by a prominent black spot on the apical area of each forewing and, often, by two dark spots on either side of the head. The markings sometimes can be faint or absent. Therefore, definitive morphological identification requires dissection and examination of the male genitalia by a specialist or confirmation through molecular testing. 

The eggs, which are laid within the veins and midribs of leaves, are yellowish-white, oblong and less than 0.04 inches (1 mm) long, nearly invisible without magnification. 

Newly hatched nymphs are wingless, pale green and highly agile, often scuttling sideways or dropping from plants when disturbed. They are very small, typically less than 0.05 inches (1.27 mm) long—and difficult to distinguish from nymphs of other species. When disturbed, both adults and nymphs exhibit distinctive sideways movements and quick hopping behavior. 

Distribution

The cotton jassid’s native range extends from Iran to Japan and Indonesia. It is a serious economic pest of cotton in the Indian subcontinent. In 2022 and 2023 it was reported as a serious pest of cotton in West Africa. It was found in Puerto Rico in 2023, followed by other Caribbean Islands and Florida in 2024. By 2025, infestations had been reported in multiple counties in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Signs and Symptoms

Like other leafhoppers in the subfamily Typhlocybinae, two-spot cotton leafhoppers feed on the lower surface of leaves, extracting the contents of the cells. This causes yellowing, reddening, then browning of leaves, characteristic of a syndrome called “hopperburn,” along with wilting and curling of the leaves. The leafhoppers themselves are tiny, so it is likely the plant damage will be observed before the insects themselves (see below under “action”). Damage can be extensive to multiple crops, including, but not restricted to, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench), roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Rottler), sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) and eggplant (Solanum melongena Wall).  Yield losses may exceed 50% in some crops, given the right circumstances (Cabrera-Asencio et al. 2023). Damage is reminiscent of that caused by vascular plant pathogens, but two-spot cotton leafhopper is not proven conclusively to transmit plant pathogens.

Life Cycle

A majority of the biological information comes from research conducted in the native range of the pest. Per the literature, female cotton jassids lay multiple eggs (14 to 60), which hatch in approximately 1 week. The nymphal stage lasts 5 to 16 days, and adults live for up to 5 weeks. The total life cycle duration varies with temperature and humidity. For example, in India, generation time ranges from 15 to 46 days, allowing up to 11 generations per year. This is largely due to the continuous availability of host plants in warmer climates.

Host Range

Cotton jassid has a fairly broad host range primarily within the families Malvaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Solanaceae. This includes cotton, okra, peanuts, soybeans, sunflowers, eggplant, potato and many ornamental plants. When the pest first invaded Florida it was detected in high number in okra.