Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Archasia belfragei - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae	Tribe: Telamonini
Taxonomic Author: (Stål, 1869)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A distinctive green species with the dorsal crest of the pronotum rising nearly vertically above the head. The pronotum is high and strongly foliaceous, with a thin but bold brown margin; it is closely but weakly punctate and is not pubescent. The head is nearly twice as wide as long and is smooth, sparingly pubescent. The eyes are [typically] a very prominent brown. The tegmina are smoky hyaline with a dark brown smudge at the tips of the wings; the venation is brownish. The undersurface of the body is yellow-brown, the abdomen is brown and the legs are a dull yellow-brown; the tibiae are pubescent. Adults are around 9 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, and the pronotum has a height of 5 mm. (Kopp & Yonke, 1974) Nymphs are brownish, with a short crest rising from the pronotum.

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, central, and southwestern United States and adjacent Canada (BG)

Abundance: Uncommon with scattered records across the state. Seasonal distribution: 12 May-11 September (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.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. phellos (CTNC); has also been collected from Quercus falcata, Platanus occidentalis, and Robinia pseudoacacia (CTGSMNP), as well as black oak, bur oak, wild grape, plum, goldenrod, and apple (Kopp & Yonke, 1974); nymphs have also been found on Q. ilicifolia (bear or scrub oak), Q. montana (chestnut oak), and Q. stellata (post oak) (Wallace 2014). Adults have additionally been associated with Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree), Q. bicolor (swamp white oak), Q. coccinea (scarlet oak), Q. palustris (pin oak), Q. rubra (northern red oak), Q. virginiana (live oak), Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust), Solidago (goldenrod), Vaccinium (blueberry), Vitis riparia (riverbank grape), and Vitis vinifera (wine or wild grape) (Wallace 2014).

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species may actually be most confused with Telamona extrema, as they both have similarly shaped pronotums. However, T. extrema tends to be brownish in color while A. belfragei is greenish. But there are also slight differences in the shape of the pronotum. With A. belfragei, the pronotum is either broad or moderate in width, but there is a somewhat even, gradual curve starting from the rear to the highest point of the crest itself. With T. extrema, the pronotum is always broad and there is a kink in the crest before it sharply curves upward. This kink is largely absent or heavily reduced in A. belfragei.

Additionally, the high-arched crest rising vertically from the head helps distinguish this species from Archasia auriculata, which has a more rounded crest, and from A. pallida, which has a much shorter crest that peaks more in the middle.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Archasia belfragei No Common Name
	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_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:	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: Found at moth sheet	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn Stanly Co. Comment: Found dead by Bug Zapper
	Photo by: Britta Muiznieks Dare Co. Comment:	Photo by: Britta Muiznieks Dare Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest edge, near the road

Archasia belfragei - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Archasia belfragei No Common Name