Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Cyrtolobus vau - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: Say

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A small robust species with a noticeable crest on the pronotum (lower on males) and prominent markings. This species varies greatly in color and size, with females larger and lighter than males. The transverse pronotal band is prominent, pale bordered with a deep brown in females, whereas the lateral stripe is lacking. Females have a distinct light brown coloration, with the pronotum elevated slightly behind the head. The female's forewings are hyaline with brownish wing tips. The head is small, pale yellow punctured with brown. The eyes are large and grayish-brown, ranging to red in males; the oceeli are small and hairy. The legs and undersurface of the body are a uniform yellowish color. Males are similar to females but are blackish overall, with prominent white transverse bands. In both sexes the mid-dorsal spot is large and prominent. Adults are between 5.5 and 6.5 mm long. (Kopp)

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: Fairly abundant in eastern and central North America, as far west as the Rocky Mountains (Kopp)

Abundance: The most abundant member of the genus in the state. Seasonal distribution: late March-5 September (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Found in a wide variety of habitats where oak is present, including mixed hardwood forest.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. prinus, Q. stellata (CTNC)

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: Can be attracted at night with a light. C. vau usually overwinter in the egg stage, though adults can hibernate in leaf litter. The average egg clump contains 3 eggs, and eggs laid in the fall hatch in the spring, with individuals reaching maturity by the end of the following June. Nymphs are also typically attended by ants. The nymphal period of each instar is roughly 10, 6, 5, 10, and 14 days, respectively. Mating occurs a few days after the last moult and oviposition begins during the same week. Males have also typically been found to be more abundant than females in previous studies. (Kopp)

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus vau No Common Name
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Surry Co. Comment: PIMO
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Alleghany Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Alleghany Co. Comment:
	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_treehopper	Photo by: B.Bockhahn, F.Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI
	Photo by: B.Bockhahn, F.Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI - VC	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: male, mm
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: male, 5.2 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: male, 5.2 mm
	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: Scott Bolick Alleghany Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Alleghany Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Alleghany Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:	Photo by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Lior Carlson Orange Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: 5.7 mm female came to UV light at night, forest edge
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: 5.7 mm female came to UV light at night, forest edge	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: 5.7 mm female came to UV light at night, forest edge
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Carteret Co. Comment: female 5.4 mm, photographed by K. Kittelberger; collected at UV trap
	Photo by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: on moth sheet	Photo by: Randy Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: kept landing on my arm, camera and phone. UV lights
	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: UV light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; males
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; males	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; males
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; males	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; males
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Stokes Co. Comment:	Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: i hope this is the right ID?
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to UV Light
	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment: male	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to Black Light
	Photo by: Brian Bockhahn Gates Co. Comment:	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to light
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Surry Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat near forest edge & forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Surry Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat near forest edge & forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Surry Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat near forest edge & forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Surry Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat near forest edge & forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood habitat; a very common white oak group specialist. Female

Cyrtolobus vau - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus vau No Common Name