It's the first record of this tribe to be found in the New World south of Mexico. Knowing an insect's identity is the first step in controlling it. Based at the ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Washington, D.C., McKamey identifies and classifies new species and publishes identification aids. He also provides identification services for regulatory agencies. Of the 20,000 known species of leafhoppers, more than 150 species in more than 65 genera transmit crop diseases.
Many leafhoppers attack U.S. crops such as corn, rice, citrus, peach, tomato, potato and sugarbeet.
The new species he identified is not a crop pest, but some of its relatives are. Better understanding the familial relationships can lead to more accurate predictions of leafhoppers' pest potential. This task has been hampered by major gaps in knowledge of various leafhopper groups including the Megophthalmini. The extent of this disease reservoir is not well known, because too little is known about the leafhoppers' plant preferences. ARS is USDA 's chief research agency.