Members of the Auchenorrhyncha are descendants of ancestral Hemiptera, Archescytinoidea, and the latter, in turn, of the Paleozoic order Hypoperlida. The important roles of jumping adaptations and trophic changes in evolution of the suborder are discussed. A paleontologically documented phylogram of auchenorrhynchous superfamilies is proposed; all extinct families are reviewed. Heteroptera are shown to be descendants of Cicadomorpha Scytinopteroidea.