Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers
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MEMBRACIDAE Members: NC Records

Stictocephala stimulea - No Common Name


© Scott Bolick- note dark color
© William Fisher
© William Fisher- note horn length
© Mark Shields- note coloration
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: SmiliinaeTribe: CeresiniSynonym: Ceresa stimulea
Taxonomic Author: Van D. Estero (Van Duzee)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: This species is brownish overall, typically a mixture of dark brown to blcakish and lighter brown, with long, prominent and recurved pronotal horns. There is a distinctive, pronounced curve to the pronotum. The horns have broad dark brown margins, contrasting with the rest of the body. Some individuals may have a fairly dark pronotal crest, and some individuals may have a partially green pronotum. The legs are also a dark brown color. Males are 7 to 8 mm long, while females are 8 to 9 mm (FSCA).
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Southeastern United States, north to Maryland (FSCA)
Abundance: Uncommon to rare, scattered records across the state.
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest.
Plant Associates: Vitis prob. vulpina (CTNC); has also been found on Carya sp., Myrica cerifera, Prunus serotina, Quercus spp. (including Q. phellos), Solidago, and Smilax elsewhere (FSCA).
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: NOTE: Specimens of S. taurina, S. tauriniformis, S. palmeri, and S. brevitylus could be confused with S. stimulea, and therefore a species level ID may not always be possible for uniformly dark individuals. "True" S. stimulea are a mixture of brown and blackish coloration.
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Stictocephala stimulea No Common Name

Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Mark Shields
Onslow Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Mark Shields
Onslow Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: FKW
Gates Co.
Comment: MEMI
Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams
Gates Co.
Comment: MEMI		Photo by: William Fisher
Orange Co.
Comment:
Photo by: William Fisher
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Harry Wilson
Wake Co.
Comment: