Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Vanduzea triguttata - Three-spotted Treehopper

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Smiliinae
Taxonomic Author: (Burmeister 1836)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: This species is similar to V. arquata, with a dark brown pronotum and bold black wing venation, but there is a third mark on the pronotum, a pale/white mid-dorsal spot; hence the name Three-spotted. Adult males are 3 to 3.5 mm long while females are 4 mm. See FSCA for more. Nymphs are brown overall, speckled with white.

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, central, and southwestern North America; uncommon in the East.

Abundance: Uncommon and infrequently encountered. Seasonal distribution: 17 June-27 September (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats:

Plant Associates: Lespedeza sp. (CTNC); also reported from Eupatorium capillifolium, alfalfa, oaks, Helianthus, Psoralea tenuiflora, Melilotus spp. (BG)

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 frequently tended by ants (Formica spp.) (BG).

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Vanduzea triguttata Three-spotted Treehopper
	Photo by: Nick Spigler Harnett Co. Comment: Sluggish, sedentary https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289049192	Photo by: Nick Spigler Hoke Co. Comment: Small clusters of immatures being tended to by ants, possibly Crematogaster sp. ants.rnhttps://www.inaturalist.org/observations/293752006
	Photo by: Nick Spigler Hoke Co. Comment: Adults and immatures together being tended to by ants.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289666785	Photo by: Nick Spigler Hoke Co. Comment: Adults and immatures together being tended to by ants.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289666785
	Photo by: Nick Spigler Hoke Co. Comment: Adults and immatures together being tended to by ants.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289666785	Photo by: Nick Spigler Cumberland Co. Comment: Sluggish, sitting on vertical stem
	Photo by: Nick Spigler Cumberland Co. Comment: Sluggish, sitting on vertical stem	Photo by: Nick Spigler Cumberland Co. Comment: Sluggish, sitting on vertical stem
	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment:

Vanduzea triguttata - Three-spotted Treehopper

Species Photo Gallery for Vanduzea triguttata Three-spotted Treehopper