Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Erythroneura fraxa - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE	Subfamily: Typhlocybinae	Tribe: Erythroneurini
Taxonomic Author: (Robinson, 1924)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: This species has a bold, broad reddish-orange color pattern on its wings and body, forming somewhat of a zigzag shape. When viewed from above, the reddish zigzags surround two prominent white spots down the middle of the wings. The white patch closest to the head is circular, almost oval-shaped, whereas the white patch near the tip of the wings is diamond-shaped; in some individuals, there is a small orange spot in the middle of this diamond. The shape of these two white patches can vary among individuals. There is a noticeable diagonal black mark on the costal margin of each wing, and four dark spots near the rear of the wing (forming an upside down V when viewed from above): a distal spot in the second apical cells and a brown spot basally in the inner apical cells. The scutellum has bold orange lateral triangles, with a paler apex; the rest of the scutellum is white. The pronotum has three prominent vertical bars, with the center one forming a skinny "Y" and extending onto the top of the head. These head lines are parallel and run very close to one another; there is either a small white midline between the orange lines or no midline at all, resulting in a central thick bold line. The face is pale, and the thoracic venter is pale outside of the dark mesosternum. Adults are 2.9-3.2 mm long. (Dmitriev & Dietrich, 2007)

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: Central and eastern United States (3I)

Abundance: Recorded from several counties in the upper Piedmont where it is rather uncommon. Possibly more abundant across the state in the right habitat.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in mixed hardwood forest habitat.

Plant Associates: Redbud (Cercis canadensis) (3I)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night to a light.

Comment: E. fraxa is close in appearance to a number of Erythroneura species that all have similar color patterns. It is perhaps most similar to E. acuticephala. Both species have essentially the same color pattern, but in acuticephala the lines are noticeably thinner than in fraxa, which tends to have rather broad lines (especially on the wings). Additionally and perhaps more importantly, the head pattern differs between the two species and can be a useful distinguishing characteristic. In fraxa, the parallel orange lines on the head are fairly close to one another, essentially forming one broad band on the hand; in acuticephala however, the lines are much thinner and more divergent from one another, with a noticeably defined white median area between the lines. See here for the profile for E. acuticephala.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for Rich Dry-Mesic Hardwood Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Erythroneura fraxa No Common Name
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.
	Photo by: Randy Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: uv light	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light

Erythroneura fraxa - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Erythroneura fraxa No Common Name