Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Cyrtolobus fuscipennis - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE

Subfamily: Smiliinae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF
Description: A reddish-brown species. Males have a reddish face and a low pronotum with bold, pale transverse lines/vittae and a bold mid-dorsal whitish spot; the pronotum is reddish-brown with some black. The underside of the body is black, and the forewings, which far exceed past the pronotum, are smoky and broadly infuscated at the apices. The legs are pale with the femora black above. Females have large, prominent ocelli (light-sensing organ on head), which are red. The pronotum is reddish-brown, more so than on the male, and with fainter pale transverse bands; in some individuals the rear transverse line is absent, resulting in the pronotum being posteriorly uniform in color. The pronotal crest is low (but still higher than on the male, which mostly lacks a crest), and the head is a gray-green color, deeply punctate with black; the areas next to the eyes are black. The underside of the thorax is reddish-brown, while the abdomen is yellowish; legs are reddish. Adult males are 5.5 mm long, while females are 6 mm long and 2.4 mm wide. (Kopp, 1973)

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: Eastern and Central North America, as far west as the Rocky Mountains (Kopp)

Abundance: Uncommon, recorded across the state. Seasonal distribution: 24 April-22 July (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest habitat.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. nigra (CTNC); also reported from bur oak, red oak, blackjack oak and post oak (Kopp, 1973).

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.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus fuscipennis No Common Name
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B.Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; female
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Gates Co. Comment: collected by B. Bockhahn; female	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: liked my jeans - unid_treehopper
	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: the dark amber wings never seen a treehopper with wings like this. - unid_treehopper	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Male. attracted to UV Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn Stanly Co. Comment: Male. Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Male. attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to UV Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B.Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV 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 Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Light	Photo by: Brian Bockhahn Gates Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to Light	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Female, Attracted to Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest edge; male	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; male

Cyrtolobus fuscipennis - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus fuscipennis No Common Name