Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Polyamia interrupta - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Deltocephalinae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: Adults are yellowish-brown to dark brown overall, with a yellowish-brown vertex; there is a bold, black wavy mark in front of the eyes, as well as two black spots near the tip, that contrast with the rest of the brownish marks on the vertex. The pronotum is brown, with contrasting pale yellowish-white and brown longitudinal bands; there may be some dark brown to black marks near the anterior margin of the pronotum. The scutellum is yellowish with black anterior triangles in the corners and a black circular mark in the posterior half; there are also two black marks between the anterior triangles. The wings have somewhat simple wing venation, typically lacking extra crossveins and most small wing cells that other species can have; the posterior half of the wing (the posterior half on the other side of the wing separated by a broad brown diagonal cell) has mostly large, circular/rounded brown wing cells and bold white wing venation. The female pregenital sternite is strongly and convexly produced, with rounded lateral lobes that curve much of the way to the anterior base before angling sharply to the sides. the male genital plates strongly and concavely narrow to long acute apexes. Adult males are 2.6-3.2 mm long, while females are 3.6 mm. (Sinada 1994), (DeLong 1948) For diagrams of this species, see: Zahniser.

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 North America

Abundance: Recorded from several counties in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, probably more abundant in the right habitat and probably under collected/reported (often confused with P. weedi).

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in mixed hardwood forest and brushy areas; open woodlands

Plant Associates: Herbaceous vegetation

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is very similar pattern wise to P. weedi with which it is frequently confused. However, there are some differences that can help. First, the female pregenital sternites are extremely different, with interrupta having a rounded sternite and weedi having a broadly concave sternite. P. weedi also has a more complicated wing pattern, with extra crossveins and small tiny cells; these are largely not present in P. interrupta, which tends to have a more simplistic pattern. However, there may be some cases where the pattern is in the middle of the two species and an ID is not readily attainable. Additionally, interrupta tends to have a more boldly marked and contrasting pattern on the head (and darker overall); there are also slight differences in the pattern of the scutellum, with a V-shaped mark in the posterior half of weedi and a circular mark for interrupta. Having detailed, clear pictures will make an ID much easier and more likely.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Polyamia interrupta No Common Name
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping in grassy field.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping in grassy field.
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: T. DeSantis Durham Co. Comment: ENRI	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Halifax Co. Comment: grassy area and mixed hardwood forest edge
	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: female	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: male	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Light

Polyamia interrupta - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Polyamia interrupta No Common Name