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Auchenorrhyncha, the planthoppers and leafhoppers, occur in high densities and species richness in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, forming an important component of food webs. They may transmit plant pathogens such as viruses and mycoplasmas, and a few species are among the worlds' worst pests of cereals and other crops. Due to the lack of a comprehensive key, the central European fauna has long been neglected by entomologists, and as a consequence, the knowledge of their life history was rather limited. Host plant relations, in particular, were insufficiently known.

This work summarises an extensive collection of data combined with a widely scattered literature on a large geographical scale. For the first time, a systematic overview of phenology, food plants, habitat requirements, geographical and altitudinal distribution and economic importance of all Auchenorrhyncha species known from Germany is provided, based on up to date taxonomy. The guild composition of all plant groups at species and family level is analysed and discussed in detail. Further analyses deal with life strategies such as host specificity, dispersal and life cycles.

The book, originally published in 2003, is an authoritative synthesis of current knowledge and will be an invaluable reference for all students of biodiversity as well as for ecologists, entomologists, botanists and phytopathologists.