Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers
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MEMBRACIDAE Members: NC Records

Micrutalis malleifera - Pseudo-Curly Top Treehopper

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Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: SmiliinaeTribe: Micrutalini
Taxonomic Author: (Fowler, 1895)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: A variably colored species. Some individuals resemble M. calva, with black across most of the pronotum except for a pale tip. Other individuals however are quite distinctive, with a broad white border around the black part of the pronotum and some orange marks present as well. Adults are 2.8-3.6 mm long. See FSCA for more information.
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Primarily a tropical species, found in Argentina, Colombia, Guyana, Jamaica, & Mexico; in the United States, found mainly in southern Florida, ranging as far north as coastal North Carolina (FSCA)
Abundance: Rare, only recorded from Dare county in the Coastal Plain.
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Coastal
Plant Associates: Nightshade (Physalis spp.; CTNC); in FL, also recorded from Lycopersicum esculentum and Solanum spp. (FSCA)
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: This species is the only known vector of pseudo-curly top virus, a minor disease that impacts tomatoes (CTNC). This association that was first reported from Florida in 1957. Both adults and nymphs are efficient vectors of this virus, with nymphs retaining virus transmissibility after molting. Nightshade is the main host for both pseudo-curly top virus and M. malleifera. (Tsai 2004)
Status: Native
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