Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Ophiderma flavicephala - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: Goding

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: Females are brown to rufous overall with a pale yellow lateral stripe on each side of the pronotum. Females are densely pubescent with long hairs, and the pronotum gradually slopes downwards. The wings have a broad rufous/brown base and a dark tip. The head is much broader than long and sparingly pubescent with long hairs; there is a small black spot above the ocelli, which are prominent and a brilliant red. The undersurface of the thorax is fuscous, and the abdomen is yellowish. Legs are reddish-brown. Males are slightly smaller than females but much darker, with a black pronotum. The lateral stripes are a bright white on the males, and there is a white transverse band near the rear tip of the abdomen (sometimes this band is broken or incomplete). Males also have heavier pubescence, especially on the anterior part of the pronotum, compared to the female. Adults are between 5.5 and 6.0 mm long. (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: Scattered records across the state, uncommon. Seasonal distribution: 23 April-18 June (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest; where oak is present.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. coccinea, Q. falcata, Q. nigra, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. rubra var. ambigua, Q. stellata (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.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flavicephala No Common Name
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found on Willow Oak	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found on Willow Oak
	Photo by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:	Photo by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree brand on oak	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm females trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band on Quercus phellos
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band (alive)
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band (alive)	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree bandrn
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree bandrn	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights
	Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights

Ophiderma flavicephala - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flavicephala No Common Name