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

Ophiderma pubescens - No Common Name



© Matthew S. Wallace- dark male

© Mark J. Rothschild- light male

© Kyle Kittelberger- female; note pubescence

© Kyle Kittelberger- female; note pubescence
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: (Emmons)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: Females are light brown mottled with white. There is an indistinct pale transverse band across the middle of the pronotum, separating the reddish-brwon rear from the darker, mottled front. As the name suggests, this species is hairy/pubescent. The wings have a brownish tinge to their base, and a brown smudge to the tip. The undersurface of the body is yellowish, with dark legs. Males are smaller and darker than the female, with a pronotum ranging in color from brown to blackish. There is a small transverse, white band near the rear of the pronotum, and a white band on the outer margin of the pronotum near the head, where it converges with the yellow of the head. The eyes are prominent and grayish, and the ocelli are transparent and protruding. The pronotum is closely and finely punctate, densely pubescent. The wings have a brownish tip, and the undersurface of the body is yellowish; the legs are also yellow with black bases. Adults males are 6.5 mm long, females are 7 mm. (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
Abundance: Seasonal distribution: 24 April-26 July (CTNC)
Seasonal Occurrence
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Where oaks are present.
Plant Associates: Quercus falcata, Q. marilandica, Q. stellata (CTNC); also from Q. rubra (CTGSMNP)
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 most similar to O. definita, especially the male, and some individuals may be difficult to identify.
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma pubescens No Common Name

Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Montgomery Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Montgomery Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Scott Bolick
Montgomery Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm male trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band on Quercus phellos
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm male trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band on Quercus phellos
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.5 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.5 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.5 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.5 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately
Photo by: Julie Tuttle
Chatham Co.
Comment: This site is low-density residential in a dry, rocky hilltop oak-hickory forest dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) in the tree canopy.
Photo by: Julie Tuttle
Chatham Co.
Comment: This site is low-density residential in a dry, rocky hilltop oak-hickory forest dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) in the tree canopy.
Photo by: Julie Tuttle
Chatham Co.
Comment: This site is low-density residential in a dry, rocky hilltop oak-hickory forest dominated by white oak (Quercus alba) in the tree canopy.
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.0 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.0 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.0 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.0 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.4 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.4 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.4 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female, 6.4 mm
Photo by: Mark J. Rothschild
Out Of State Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Mark J. Rothschild
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male