Hoppers of North Carolina

Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Spissistilus festinus - Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE

Subfamily: Smiliinae

Synonym: Ceresa festina

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A green species with a white or red stripe along the front edges of the pronotum. This species has a curved pronotum, lacking a crest or any horns. The front of the pronotum appears 'fat', and there may be faint pale speckling on the pronotum. The wings are hyaline and the legs are green, helping differentiate this from S. lutea. Adults are 6-7 mm long (FSCA).

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Out of State Record(s)

Distribution: A common species found throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean (FSCA).

Abundance: Common, found throughout the state. Seasonal distribution: 19 February-19 December (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Found in a variety of habitats

Plant Associates: Arachis hypogaea, Aster ericoides, Glycine max, Helianthus sp., Lespedeza sp., Medicago sativa, Phaseolus vulgaris, Sarracenia flava, Solidago sp. (CTNC)

Behavior:

Comment: This species has many host plant associations, including many cultivated legumes and grasses, though seldom does this species cause significant damage (FSCA).

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Spissistilus festinus Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: collecting while beating healthy pea plants in a school garden	Photo by: Mark Basinger Nash Co. Comment: Old field-successional pine hardwood forest.
	Photo by: Mark Basinger Lenoir Co. Comment: Fell from shrubs while beat sheeting for spiders.	Photo by: Mark Basinger Lenoir Co. Comment: Fell from shrubs while beat sheeting for spiders.
	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Caught while beat sheeting for spiders.	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Caught while beat sheeting for spiders.
	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Caught while beat sheeting for spiders.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: forest edge
	Photo by: John Petranka Halifax Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck in a tree band put up in mid-December, hence active between then and 1/12
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104052232	Photo by: John Petranka Dare Co. Comment:
	Photo by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey	Photo by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66432755
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65651849	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65651849
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53864464	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53864464
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50836764	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50836769
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50836769	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.4 mm, could have collected as many as I wanted during sweep of grassy area within wet detention basin
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.4 mm, could have collected as many as I wanted during sweep of grassy area within wet detention basin	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49981083
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49981092	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49981092
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49981092	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49667084
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49267799	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49267799
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49267799	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49267799
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/49267799	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47920840
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47920840	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47920840
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39850283	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39253681
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39253681	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39253681
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/28477241
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping. Weedy power line near hardwoods. Brown coloration (I've not seen this before) was on both sides but more prominent on the side shown.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping. Weedy power line near hardwoods. Brown coloration (I\'ve not seen this before) was on both sides but more prominent on the side shown.
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping. Weedy power line near hardwoods. Brown coloration (I\\\'ve not seen this before) was on both sides but more prominent on the side shown.	Photo by: Amber Sauder Harnett Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ric Carter Beaufort Co. Comment: Browsing flower center	Photo by: Tracy Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: posed in bright sun.	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Captured using a butterfly sweep net while whacking several Groundsel bushes growing along the edge of school athletic fields.
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Captured using a butterfly sweep net while whacking several Groundsel bushes growing along the edge of school athletic fields.	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Captured using a butterfly sweep net while whacking several Groundsel bushes growing along the edge of school athletic fields.
	Photo by: T. DeSantis Camden Co. Comment: DISW	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Grassy open area.
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment: grassy, field-type habitat near pond edge	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment: grassy, field-type habitat near pond edge
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Vance Co. Comment: Found in grassy field/forest edge habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: open forest habitat near pond
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Found on Flowering shrub, Spiraea cantoniensis	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Found on Flowering shrub, Spiraea cantoniensis
	Photo by: Mark J. Rothschild Out Of State Co. Comment: nymph	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Vance Co. Comment: Found in grassy field/forest edge habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment: grassy, field-type habitat near pond edge	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn,C Mitchell Durham Co. Comment: Spotted on Vegetation
	Photo by: T. DeSantis Camden Co. Comment: DISW	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught sweeping

Spissistilus festinus - Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper

Species Photo Gallery for Spissistilus festinus Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper