Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Agallia quadripunctata - Four-spotted Clover Leafhopper

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Megophthalminae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: This species is stout and robust in appearance and has short wings that are wider than those in the very common A. constricta: short and wide vs. long and slender. Adults range in color from light brown to fuscous to dark brown (but not necessarily black) with pale wing venation; males are much darker than females. There are four spots on the front of the body: two on the head and two dark ones on the pronotum (BG). Individuals have variable body color, ranging from light to dark brown. Adults are 3 to 4 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The female pregenital sternite is truncate without any emarginations. The male plates are small and acutely angled, with convex lateral margins. Nymphs are dark, a combination of black and white, and they have small 'ear-tufts' above the eyes characteristic of Agallia nymphs. (DeLong 1948), (Oman 1933)

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Found throughout North America; the most widespread Agallia in the country, ranging from coast to cast (though a higher density seem to occur in the eastern United States.

Abundance: Primarily recorded from the mountains, plus several counties in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Likely more abundant, at least in the mountains, in the right habitat.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Grassy, brushy field-type habitat, including weedy areas and agricultural fields (BG).

Plant Associates: Usually on legumes, like clover, and has been found on Liliaceae. Also recorded from Asclepias and Rubus (DL).

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is usually parthenogenetic, and males are uncommon to rare to find in this species; they are known usually from the spring, sometimes into the summer.

There is a similar looking but poorly known and infrequently encountered species, Agallia obesa, that could be confused with A. quadripunctata. This species has not been recorded in North Carolina yet and is presently only known from the Deep South, but could theoretically show up in areas liket he southwestern Piedmont. It has four large, dark spots on the head and pronotum (as in quadripunctata), but is much smaller, being 2.5-2.75 mm long. See Oman 1933 for more information and diagrams.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Agallia quadripunctata - Four-spotted Clover Leafhopper

Species Photo Gallery for Agallia quadripunctata Four-spotted Clover Leafhopper

Species Photo Gallery for Agallia quadripunctata Four-spotted Clover Leafhopper
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg 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:	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: One found on Poke Milkweed and the other on Common Milkweed in open wooded area.	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: One found on Poke Milkweed and the other on Common Milkweed in open wooded area.
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: One found on Poke Milkweed and the other on Common Milkweed in open wooded area.	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: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72123489	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72123489; male
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55736398	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Swain Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52274717
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Swain Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52274717	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/43728823
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught sweeping	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39850353
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39850353	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39850353
	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment:	Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: The wings appear short. This could be a result of the photo angle. However, this specimen lacks pronotal spots; A. quadripunctata always has pronotal spots	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Mitchell Co. Comment: grassy, brushy vegetation in the open on the top of the mountain; the bald
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Mitchell Co. Comment: grassy, brushy vegetation in the open on the top of the mountain; the bald	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Watauga Co. Comment: grassy, brushy area on mixed forest edge
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught sweeping short lawn grass	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught sweeping short lawn grass