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

Ophiderma salamandra - No Common Name



© Matthew S. Wallace- male

© Matthew S. Wallace- female

© Kyle Kittelberger- female; note pronotal hump

© Margarita Lankford- female, note robust body
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: Fairmaire, 1846
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: A large robust brown species, very pubescent with short, black, bristly hairs. The head is broader than long and is yellow and very hairy. The eyes are large and brown, and the ocelli are red and prominent. Females have a reddish-brown to black pronotum with mottling. There is an indistinct transverse band near the rear. Males are smaller and darker than females, having a mostly black pronotum with small whitish bands; the bands on the lateral margin have some white mottling on the inside of the band. The forewings are smoky hyaline with prominent dark veins and a black smudge to the wing tip. The underside of the head and thorax are dark and the abdomen is yellowish; the legs are blackish. Adult males are 6.8-7.5 mm, females are 7.4-8.8 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: Uncommon to locally common across the state. Seasonal distribution: 18 April-31 August (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. nigra, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. rubra, Q. stellata, Q. velutina (CTNC)
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: O. salamandra may [typically] be distinguished from other Ophiderma species by the spotted color pattern on the pronotum, but more importantly by how robust this species is. All other Ophiderma in the eastern U.S. are slimmer than O. salamandra. (M. Rothschild, pers. comment)
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:
See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma salamandra 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: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: came to CFL, UV light combo, cove forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: came to CFL, UV light combo, cove forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby
Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male