Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Macrosteles slossoni - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Deltocephalinae

Tribe: Macrostelini

Synonym: Macrosteles slossonae

Taxonomic Author: (Van Duzee, 1893)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A distinctively marked yellow to yellowish-green species with prominent dark markings across the body and smoky markings on the forewings. Adults have a black and yellowish-green pattern on the scutellum, pronotum, head, and face; there are three pairs of spots on the vertex and one next to each eye. These spots are often confluent: connected with each other. Males tend to have darker and bolder markings on the head and pronotum than females. The wings are typically a grayish color with a dark diamond-shaped pattern. Some individuals can be quite dark though, with darker wings. The vertex is rounded anteriorly in males and somewhat pointed in females. The female pregenital sternite is relatively straight across the posterior margin. Male subgenital plates are triangular with pointed attenuated apices that slightly diverge from one another; there are 6-7 macrosetae along each edge. Adult males are 2.5-2.8 mm long, females are 2.8-3.1 mm. (DeLong 1948; Kwon & Kwon, 2022) For more images of this species, see: BG. For diagrams of this species, see: Zahniser.

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Distribution: Transcontinental across Canada, in the United States primarily in the East and Midwest (Kwon & Kwon, 2022)

Abundance: Recorded from several counties in the mountains, possibly more abundant in the right habitat, especially in higher elevation areas.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Grassy areas, such as shores and wet places, where its host plants grow (BG)

Plant Associates: Sedges and rushes (Juncus spp.) (BG); swamp grasses

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light

Comment:

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for Montane Wet Meadows

Species Photo Gallery for Macrosteles slossoni No Common Name
	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:
	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat and forest edge/interior
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat and forest edge/interior	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat and forest edge/interior
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat and forest edge/interior	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy, brushy habitat and forest edge/interior

Macrosteles slossoni - No Common Name