Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Xestocephalus tessellatus - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Aphrodinae

Tribe: Xestocephalini

Synonym: Xestocephalus tesselatus

Taxonomic Author: (Van Duzee, 1894)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: One of the larger members of this genus, being around 4 mm long. A brownish species, it has a high density of fine white spots on the wings, scutellum, pronotum, and head. Osborn, 1928 notes "differs from the other species in being larger and having the light and dark arragned in rather sharply contrasting tesselations." A black spot exists behind the eye, on the edge of the pronotum. The scutellum is pale brown with basal black triangles. (Tennessee 1905).

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Recorded in the Southeast, west to Texas (Bugguide).

Abundance: Recorded mostly from counties in the Coastal Plain but also has been found in the mountains, probably more abundant in the right habitat (especially in the Coastal Plain).

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Recorded so far from a lawn near a big swamp and from mixed hardwood forest.

Plant Associates:

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: An "ant guest", it lives as an immature in the tunnels of ant nests where it feeds on the roots of plants. Adults fly around a lot, looking for other ant nests (BG).

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Xestocephalus tessellatus No Common Name
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53386742	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53386742
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/53386742	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51088370
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51088370	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/51088370
	Photo by: Brian Bockhahn Gates Co. Comment:	Photo by: T. DeSantis Camden Co. Comment: DISW
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Cumberland Co. Comment: attracted at night with a light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Gates Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment:	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment: Attracted to white CFL porch light in semi-wood residential area.	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment: Attracted to white CFL porch light in semi-wooded residential area.
	Photo by: Amanda Auxier Pender Co. Comment:	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Pender Co. Comment: female; photographed by K. Kittelberger
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Pender Co. Comment: female; photographed by K. Kittelberger	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Pender Co. Comment: female; photographed by K. Kittelberger

Xestocephalus tessellatus - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Xestocephalus tessellatus No Common Name