Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Balclutha impicta - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE	Subfamily: Deltocephalinae
Taxonomic Author: (Van Duzee), 1892

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: This species ranges in color from pale green to a dull brown/yellow. The face frequently has brown lines on either side of the midline, and there are often brown/orange markings on the vertex and pronotum; there tend to be dark longitudinal bands on the pronotum. The vertex is typically slightly longer in the middle than next to the eye. The wings vary from having an irregular number of scattered brown/black dots to [more commonly] being unspotted, in which case the wings are concolorous with the body color; the underside of the thorax and abdominal dorsum are dark/black. The head is distinctly narrower than the pronotum, which is overall triangular in shape; this results in the head having a strong curve around the pronotum and therefore appearing pointed rather than circular. The female pregenital sternite has a truncated posterior margin, sometimes slightly sinuate apically. Adult males are 3.5 to 4.2 mm long, females are 3.6 to 4.0 mm. (Blocker, 1967) For images of a couple diagrams of the genitalia, see: 3i.

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Distribution: Primarily Eastern North America but transcontinental (3i)

Abundance: A locally common species, recorded across the state in all three regions.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Found in woodlands and forest edge, meadows and fields, other grassy/herbaceous areas.

Plant Associates: A generalist species on grasses (BG)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: NOTE: B. impicta is very similar to B. punctata and probably cannot be conclusively separated from this species without analyzing the genitalia of a male. Both species have a high degree of variability in both color (ranging from yellow to green) and pattern (with or without spots across the wings and body); the female pregenital sternites are also extremely similar to one another. For now, non-collection records on here for impicta are tentative at best until identification challenges between impicta and punctata can be cleared up.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Balclutha impicta No Common Name
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy and vegetated, shrubby habitat surrounded by forest; also the edge of the river. 2 "spotted" individuals	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Blavk Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: microstygium, mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat

Balclutha impicta - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Balclutha impicta No Common Name