Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Ophiderma flava - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: Goding, 1893

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: The female is large, with a long and robust body. Females are mostly greenish in color, with a rufous base towards the rear of the pronotum. The wings are brown at the base and fuscous at the tips. The head is much broader than long and is green, smooth, shining, and sparingly pubescent (i.e. without hairs). The eyes are large and red, and the ocelli are prominent and reddish. The pronotum is uniform green, sometimes with a reddish tinge, and is finely pubescent. The legs and undersurface of the body are yellowish. Males have a broad, bright yellow head with prominent eyes; the ocelli are brown. Otherwise the pronotum is dark, almost black in color. There is a bright yellow band on each side of the pronotum, enclosing an oblong dark area; the band becomes broader when it reaches the lower margin of the pronotum. There is an apical transverse band at the rear of the pronotum, also yellowish. The wings resemble those of the female, and the abdomen is dark brown or black, with yellow on the edges of the segments; the tip is a light brown. The legs are a yellowish-brown color. Adult males are around 7.0 mm long, while females are 7.3-8.0 mm. (Kopp, 1973)

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: Eastern and central North America

Abundance: Restricted to the mountains, where it is uncommon. Seasonal distribution: 1 June-31 August (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found near montane mixed hardwood forest; where oaks are present.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. rubra (CTNC)

Behavior: To listen to the male courtship call for this genus, listen here. These courtship calls are not audible to the human ear, and the calls here are produced by recording the substrate vibrations that the treehoppers use to communicate through the plants themselves. The recorded call is then amplified so that it is now audible to human ears. Research has shown that treehoppers use vibrations to attract mates, to announce the discovery of a good feeding site, or to alert a defending mother to the approach of a predator (T.IM).

Comment: Can be attracted at night with a light.

A record from Mecklenburg county seems quite far out of the range of this species and therefore has not been entered on the site.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flava No Common Name
	Photo by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Macon Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Patrick Coin Avery Co. Comment: At UV light. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169488160	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: came to UV, CFL lights
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: came to UV, CFL lights	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: male
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: female, 7.3 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: female, 7.3 mm
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: female, 7.3 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: female, 7.3 mm
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest

Ophiderma flava - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flava No Common Name