Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Platycotis vittata - Oak Treehopper

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Membracinae
Taxonomic Author: (Fabricius)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A distinctive looking treehopper with several forms that vary in color and the presence (or absence) of a pronotal horn. Form vittata lacks a pronotal horn and has a brown to brownish-green body with a mottled color pattern, with or without longitudinal lines. Form lineata also lacks a horn, but there are four longitudinal red lines on an otherwise bluish-white body. Form sagittata has a horn, and the pronotum may be brown to brownish-green with a mottled color pattern, with or without longitudinal lines. Finally, form quadrivitatta also is horned, but there are four longitudinal red lines on an otherwise bluish-white body. Nymphs are mostly black with red marks on the abdomen and yellowish lines across much of the segmented body sections. Nymphs also have red eyes and have several spikes rising from the thorax and may have a forward-facing black horn, depending on whether the nymphs will mature into horned or horn-less adults. Adults are 9-13 mm long. (UF)

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: Common throughout its range, occurring mainly from the United States south through Mexico to Brazil; recorded as far north on the West coast as Vancouver Island. (UF)

Abundance: A common species, recorded across the state. The seasonal distribution in the state is: 16 January-29 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, especially mixed hardwood forests where oaks are present.

Plant Associates: Betula sp., Castanea dentata, Fagus sp., Quercus alba, Q. falcata, Q. incana, Q. laevis, Q. margarettiae, Q. nigra, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. rubra, Q. rubra var. ambigua, Q. stellata, Q. velutina, Q. virginiana (CTNC); also on Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula alleghaniensis, Q. imbricaria, and Platanus occidentalis (CTGSMNP), and on Q. prinus (chestnut oak).

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. This species does not make much damage to the host plant, only leaving behind some twig scars from oviposition by the female

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Platycotis vittata Oak Treehopper
	Photo by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: Semi-wooded residential neighborhood.	Photo by: Solomon Hendrix Wake Co. Comment: attracted to light
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Macon Co. Comment:	Photo by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Buncombe Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Watauga Co. Comment: came to UV light and sheet at night
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Watauga Co. Comment: came to UV light and sheet at night	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Chatham Co. Comment:
	Photo by: K. Bischof Yancey Co. Comment: MOMI	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Attracted to UV lights at edge of loblolly pine forest.
	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Attracted to UV lights at edge of loblolly pine forest.	Photo by: Mark Basinger Wilson Co. Comment: Attracted to UV lights at edge of loblolly pine forest.
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Chatham Co. Comment:	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Chatham Co. Comment:
	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: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Patrick Coin Avery Co. Comment: Swept from vegetation. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169488178	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: L. Knepp Surry Co. Comment: PIMO	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck on a tree band on oak
	Photo by: Terri Tangeman (photo by Cort Tangeman) Wake Co. Comment: crawling on a small twig on the ground	Photo by: Terri Tangeman (photo by Cort Tangeman) Wake Co. Comment: crawling on a small twig on the ground
	Photo by: Vin Stanton Buncombe Co. Comment: semi-wooded residential neighborhood, old fields	Photo by: Scott Duffy Gaston Co. Comment: Seen on ornamental rock alongside residential driveway
	Photo by: L. Osteen Orange Co. Comment: ENRI	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Suburban yard near woods
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Suburban yard near woods	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: dead in Tanglefoot on an oak tree band
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 9 mm female trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band, dead when encountered	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 9 mm female trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band, dead when encountered
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 9 mm female trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band, dead when encountered	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: came to UV, CFL light combo at night	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: came to UV, CFL light combo at night
	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: uv light	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment:
	Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI	Photo by: T. DeSantis Durham Co. Comment: ENRI
	Photo by: T. Nergart Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG	Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI
	Photo by: L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: KELA	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: hangs around at the top of the moth sheet.
	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: tended by ants - unid_treehopper	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: tended by ants - unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman Scotland Co. Comment: tended by ants - unid_treehopper	Photo by: Roger Shaw Wake Co. Comment: Spotted on a car windshield, apologies for the poor phone photos! - unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: stayed all night on the sheet.	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: stayed all night on the sheet.
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: var. sagitatta
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak; var. lineata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak; var. quadrivittata	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment: nymphs and adults, 2 forms. Found on chestnut oak
	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment: var. lineata	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Watauga Co. Comment: grassy, brushy area on mixed forest edge; on chestnut oak; var. lineata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Watauga Co. Comment: grassy, brushy area on mixed forest edge; on chestnut oak; var. lineata	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Watauga Co. Comment: grassy, brushy area on mixed forest edge; var. sagitatta
	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment: var. vittata	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Black Light; var. vittata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Ashe Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; a dark, hornless individual; var. vittata	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Black Light; var. vittata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: near mixed hardwood forest habitat; var. lineata	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: near mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Scott Hartley Moore Co. Comment: nymphs - Weymouth Woods-SNP	Photo by: Britta Muiznieks Dare Co. Comment: var. quadrivittata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; var. quadrivittata	Photo by: Nancy Williams Cumberland Co. Comment: Carvers Creek State Park; var. lineata
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Gates Co. Comment: grassy habitat on mixed hardwood forest edge; nymphs	Photo by: Scott Hartley Moore Co. Comment: nymphs and adults - Weymouth Woods-SNP
	Photo by: Scott Hartley Moore Co. Comment: nymphs - Weymouth Woods-SNP

Platycotis vittata - Oak Treehopper

Species Photo Gallery for Platycotis vittata Oak Treehopper