Hoppers of North Carolina:
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DELPHACIDAE Members: NC Records

Bostaera balli - No Common Name

Bostaera balli
© Kyle Kittelberger- side view		Bostaera balli
© Kyle Kittelberger- note broad head and long
antennae
Taxonomy
Family: DELPHACIDAESubfamily: DelphacinaeTribe: Delphacini
Taxonomic Author: Penner, 1952
Identification
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Description: A very distinctive genus, with the head broader than the pronotum and the antennae strongly flattened. This species is pale overall, with black lines on the front of the pale legs. The wings have a cream tint to them, with a dark spot in the middle of the inner margin and two dark streaks the flare up from the rear of the tips; the venation is white. The underside of the body ranges from brown to white. Males are 4.0 mm long while females are 4.8 mm (Penner 1952, UDEL)
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Southeastern United States; recorded from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Seemingly a rare to uncommon species, as the record here is only the second time it has been recorded since 1959.
Abundance: Rare; only recorded from a few counties in the eastern Piedmont and western Coastal Plain; it had not been recorded in North Carolina since 1910 before the 2016 record from Cumberland County.
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Has been found in grassy habitat.
Plant Associates: Grasses
Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.
Comment: This species is externally almost identical to B. nasuta. The main distinguishing factor is "that B. balli has fewer teeth on the aedeagus with the proximal teeth much larger than the distal" compared to B. nasuta. However, balli is supposed to be slightly smaller than nasuta: 4.0-4.8 mm vs. 5.0-5.5 mm. Nasuta supposedly has been recorded from North Carolina [and Georgia]. However, Bartlett suggests that these eastern records of B. nasuta may be incorrect and instead represent balli. Therefore, unless a specimen is collected that proves otherwise, records of any Bostaera in North Carolina will be assumed to represent B. balli. (UDEL)
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Bostaera balli No Common Name

Bostaera balliPhoto by: Larry Chen, Sarah Toner
Beaufort Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/310729784		Bostaera balliPhoto by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Cumberland Co.
Comment: female; first record in NC since 1910, first photographs of a live individual of this species, and probably second record of this species since 1959
Bostaera balliPhoto by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Cumberland Co.
Comment: female; first record in NC since 1910, first photographs of a live individual of this species, and probably second record of this species since 1959		Bostaera balliPhoto by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Cumberland Co.
Comment: female; first record in NC since 1910, first photographs of a live individual of this species, and probably second record of this species since 1959