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

Stictocephala brevitylus - No Common Name


© Paul Scharf- note dark ventral thoracic sides
© Paul Scharf
© Scott Bolick- note reddish-brown legs
© Jim Petranka
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: SmiliinaeSynonym: Ceresa brevitylus
Taxonomic Author: Walker
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: A greenish species with prominent horns and light speckling across the pronotum. The tips of the horns and the ridge of the pronotum are reddish. The key characteristics of this species are the dark, reddish-brown legs and the black ventral sides of the thorax; this helps separate it from most other species in this genus that look similar. Females are 8-9 mm long, while males are 7-8 mm. For more, see FSCA.
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Eastern North America
Abundance: Seasonal distribution: 5 April-2 July (CTNC)
Seasonal Occurrence
Jan
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Dec
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest.
Plant Associates: Aster sp., Ceanothus sp., Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Helianthus sp., Morus sp., Quercus falcata, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rubus argutus, Sarracenia flava, Smilax sp., Solanum tuberosum, Vaccinium sp., Vitis sp. (CTNC); also on Eupatorium capillifolium, Gleditsia triacanthos, Ostrya virginiana, Sambucus canadensis (CTGSMNP)
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: Many Stictocephala may not be identifiable from an image; this is a very difficult group of treehoppers to identify correctly (for many species). M. Rothschild notes that the only green Stictocephala in our region with dark ventral sides of the thorax are S. brevitylus and S. lutea, the latter of which lacks suprahumeral horns.
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Stictocephala brevitylus No Common Name

Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Rob Van Epps
Iredell Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper		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: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper
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: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_planthopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_planthopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_planthopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_planthopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_planthopper
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: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/122597912		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114410133
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114410133		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114410133
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Guilford Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114026101		Photo by: Matthew Guilin
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Matthew Guilin
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Matthew Guilin
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Scott Bolick
Randolph Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Randolph Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Scott Bolick
Guilford Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Chatham Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73979057		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Chatham Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73979057
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Chatham Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73979057		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Chatham Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73979057
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught while sweeping along Roadside in short cut grass in a mixed Hardwood area.		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught while sweeping along Roadside in short cut grass in a mixed Hardwood area.
Photo by: Tracy S. Feldman
Wake Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47532918
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47532918		Photo by: Erich Hofmann
Craven Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Erich Hofmann
Craven Co.
Comment: female		Photo by: Erich Hofmann
Craven Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Jim Petranka
Madison Co.
Comment: Resting on stem. 		Photo by: Jim Petranka
Madison Co.
Comment: Resting on stem.
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping		Photo by: Amanda Auxier
Pender Co.
Comment: Attracted to white CFL porch light.
Photo by: Amanda Auxier
Pender Co.
Comment: Attracted to white CFL porch light.		Photo by: Amanda Auxier
Pender Co.
Comment: Attracted to white CFL porch light.
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping