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

Stictocephala taurina - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: SmiliinaeTribe: Ceresini
Taxonomic Author: (Fitch, 1856)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist  Google                                                                                  
Description: A green species with many pale spots scattered all over the pronotum. The horns are prominent but not overly large and may have a dark edge to them. The legs are green. The nymph is typical for this genus, see above. Adults are 7.5 mm long (BG).
Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Transcontinental
Abundance: Seasonal distribution: 19 June-18 September (CTNC)
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Plant Associates: Helianthus sp., Rubus sp., Sambucus canadensis, Smilax sp. (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: See the profile for Stictocephala terminalis for more information about taurina. Right now it is not entirely clear what true S. taurina looks like. The collection records noted here will be kept here for now until specimens can be examined to determine whether they represent terminalis or something else.
Status: Native
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