Extension prepares growers, gardeners for an invasive bug likely to reach Arizona
The two-spot cotton leafhopper, which is native to Asia, is spreading through commercial cotton fields and big-box hibiscus plants from Florida to Texas.
The two-spot cotton leafhopper, also known as the cotton jassid, feeds on a variety of crop and ornamental plants, though it prefers cotton. It has been found in cotton and retail hibiscus plants as far west as Texas.
Justin Odom
Scientists, commercial growers and backyard horticulturists are keeping their eyes on a tiny insect that could threaten future Arizona cotton crops and some ornamental plants.
Although the Asian two-spot cotton leafhopper, Amrasca biguttula, has not been found in Arizona, it has been found in hibiscus plants in Texas big-box retail stores and is spreading through southeastern U.S. cotton fields.
“The swiftness with which it has moved in this part of the country is concerning for us,” said Peter Ellsworth, a University of Arizona Cooperative Extension entomologist and pest management specialist.
A two-spot cotton leafhopper nymph.
Justin Odom
Ellsworth has presented trainings about the potential threat for people involved in response to invasive species, including pest control advisors hired by commercial growers and Extension master gardeners who advise and educate the public.
“While we think of this species as being more tropical, my opinion is we could see rapid expansion of this species across the entire cotton belt,” Ellsworth said.
The two-millimeter insect, also known as the cotton jassid or okra jassid, is widespread across southern Asia, including Japan, China, India, Thailand and Indonesia. In recent years, it spread through the Caribbean and last year into Florida. It has since spread to South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.
Though the insect has not been found in Texas cotton, spread through retail ornamental hibiscus plants has been reported in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. Because numbers are high and the insects have been found over a broad area, eradication is unlikely, Ellsworth said.
“The good news is that there are (insecticide) products that we use today that are going to be very effective,” he said.
Other potential good news: the insect seems to thrive in humid environments and may not do well in Arizona’s arid climate, Ellsworth said.
Leafhoppers are a warm-season group of species of various sizes and colors. The two-spot cotton leafhopper is very small, and adults range from yellow to bright green. Adults are about two and a half millimeters long – similar to Arizona’s native leafhoppers in the genus Empoasca, such as the potato leafhopper found in cotton and alfalfa.
They damage plants not only by eating leaves but also by passing a toxin in saliva that stunts plant growth.
In preparation for the insect’s spread, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection System 2026 implementation plan includes detection and mitigation measures in nurseries, especially in hibiscus, and surveys outside known range of the insect, including in cotton, okra, sunflowers and eggplant.
To learn more about the two-spot cotton leafhopper, see this Extension publication or this Extension video.