Absence of wing polymorphism in the arboreal, phytophagous species of some taxa of temperate Hemiptera: an hypothesis

Most arboreal Cicadellidae (Homoptera) and the arboreal, phytophagous Heteroptera are macropterous and capable of flight. The low incidence of flightless morphs in the above insects is compared with its frequency in the species living on low vegetation. It is suggested that in spite of the permanence of arboreal habitats, the almost complete absence of flightless morphs in these groups of the temperate Hemiptera is related to the architectural complexity of trees.