Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Cyrtolobus pulchellus - No Common Name

No image for this species.

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: Woodruff, 1924

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: Females are medium in size with a strongly compressed pronotal crest. The face is a dull red color, sometimes yellowish. The mid-dorsal translucent spot is broad and deep and conspicuously square. The rear transverse band is broad at the margin, widely expanding forward and rearward, coming to equal or exceed the width of the mid-dorsal spot. The transverse bands on the pronotum are white with black margins. Between bands, the pronotum is a dark red, and the apex of the pronotum is white with some black and rufous markings. The underside of the body is reddish, with the ninth abdominal segment rufous. The forewings are hyaline with pale veins; the rear of the wing is brown. The legs are also a dull red color. Males are like the female, but with a lower and much darker crest. The rear of the pronotum is blackish red; between the transverse bands, the pronotum is almost black. The body beneath is like that of the female, black; the ventral segments of the abdomen are reddish with black on the sides, middle, and sexual organs. The male's legs are also a dull red color. Adult males are 5.4 mm long, while females are 5.65 mm. (Kopp)

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Eastern and central United States (Kopp)

Abundance: Rare in NC, recorded from a single county in the mountains. Seasonal distribution: 19-20 June (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Montane forest with oak

Plant Associates: Quercus rubra

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:

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Cyrtolobus pulchellus - No Common Name