Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Cicadula saliens - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Deltocephalinae

Tribe: Cicadulini

Subgenus: Cicadula

Taxonomic Author: Hamilton, 1976

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A green, greenish-yellow, or yellowish species with [sometimes] a rufous tinge to the wings, more prevalent in some specimens. There are distinctive head markings, with four black ovoid spots around the margin of the vertex. There is some variation in the general color of individuals, and in the size of the black spots on the vertex margin. The abdominal segments can be lined in red. The female pregenital sternite is mostly black, with the posterior margin strongly excavated at each postero-lateral corner and a small median tooth. Adults are 4.2-5.0 mm long. (Beirne & Young, 1953) For more images of this species, see: BG.

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Eastern North America

Abundance: Recorded from the mountains, probably more abundant especially in that region.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in brushy, grassy open areas.

Plant Associates:

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: NOTE: There has been a bit of a taxonomic conundrum between Cicadula saliens and C. melanogaster (previously reported for this state as well as much of eastern North America). For decades, various authors called specimens that looked like those on this page as C. melanogaster. However, A. Hamilton noted in his 1976 paper on Provancher's specimens that he had determined that one of the original specimens for melanogaster from Provancher referred to something completely different. It was this different taxon that he said authors that followed Provancher had treated as melanogaster, but he split this as C. saliens (from the true melanogaster, which has a more rounded and less produced head, more uniformly yellowish-green wings, and a pregenital sternite that is shorter and with a protruding median tooth), noting that C. saliens is the only member of the genus with a distinctly produced head and 4 large rounded spots on the coronal margins. (Hamilton, 1976)

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Cicadula saliens No Common Name 8
	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: brusy, overgrown shrubby area in forest clearing	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: brusy, overgrown shrubby area in forest clearing
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: open area near mixed hardwood forest

Cicadula saliens - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Cicadula saliens No Common Name 8