Hoppers of North Carolina:
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Cicadellidae Members: NC Records

Draeculacephala portola - No Common Name



© Kyle Kittelberger- male

© Kyle Kittelberger- note the inflated (bulging
outwards) face profile

© Kyle Kittelberger- dorsal view, male

© Kyle Kittelberger- female, note inflated face
Taxonomy
Family: CicadellidaeSubfamily: Cicadellinae
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: A yellowish-green (more green than yellow) Draeculacephala with a brownish underside. Males are blackish on the underside with pale plates (the triangular-shaped genital plates at the tip of the abdomen), while females are a light brown color underneath. This species lack the blue pigmentation on the wing venation and pronotum that other members of this genus have, a helpful distinguishing characteristic; wing venation is therefore pale, almost white in color. The key distinguishing characteristic that separates this species from all other members of this genus is the inflated face profile. When viewed form the side, the face noticeably bulges outwards. This is a large member of this genus, with males around 8.1 mm long and females 9.9-10.6 mm. (Dietrich 1994), (Hamilton 1985)
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: Southern Delaware to northern Florida (Dietrich 1994)
Abundance: Rare to locally common. A coastal plain species, found primarily on the coast; there are two inland records for this species in the Coastal Plain- one from Duplin county, and the other from Edgecombe county. These inland records seems notably far from the coast but have been included on the site.
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Coastal sand dunes, coastal marshes (Dietrich 1994)
Plant Associates: Spartina ssp. (Dietrich 1994)
Behavior:
Comment: Dietrich notes that based on "the extensive human alteration of [Atlantic coast] habitats, attempts should be made to locate populations and to determine whether the species is threatened by coastal development" (Dietrich 1994). Likely a near threatened, if not vulnerable or even endangered species in much of North Carolina.

D. portola is one of several Draeculacephala that occur in North Carolina that can be quite challenging to distinguish from each other. It is very important to make sure that detailed, clear photos are taken for many of these challenging species, showing side profile and underside shots (to determine sex). Obtaining a measurement of the specimen can also be very crucial. Below are some features that can help distinguish the challenging Draeculacephalas from one another.

antica- pale underside, face can be a little dark; forewing veins whitish. Male (6.1 or 6.3-7.7 mm), Female (6.0, 7.3-8.6 mm); head edged with bold black line; head slightly downcurved; dark brown markings on the mesosterna just behind the front coxae- these are absent in constricta, which is otherwise very similar

bradleyi- females and male have a black face, venter is pale brownish (lighter in males, darker in females). Male (less than 6.6 mm), Female (less than 8.0 mm)

constricta- lacks blue pigment on wing veins and pronotum, yellow face and venter; black line edging on side of head not as bold as antica. Male (less than 6.6mm), Female (less than 8.0 mm)

mollipes- yellow face, yellow venter; black line edging not as bold as antica. Blue pigment on some veins and usually on pronotal lines; resembles a smaller version of robinsoni. Male (less than 6.6 mm), Female (less than 8.0 mm)

portola- resembles robinsoni, but has inflated face profile; larger than most robinsoni, male (~8.1 mm), female (9.9-10.6 mm) but lacks the blue pigmentation on veins and pronotum that robinsoni has; strictly coastal, rare

robinsoni- blue pigmentation on the pronotum and forewing venation; male abdomen usually mostly dark brown ventrally; male with crown shorter than or subequal in length to pronotum, female crown noticeably longer; abdominal sterna color extremely variable, typically entirely brown with various amounts of yellow; ranges from yellowish or yellowish-brown to blackish. Males much darker ventrally than females, sometimes blackish underneath. Males (6.5-8.2 mm) Females (8.0-10.5 mm)

Status: Native
Global and State Rank: GNR [G3G4] [S3S4]
See also Habitat Account for Maritime Dune Grass and Forblands

Species Photo Gallery for Draeculacephala portola No Common Name

Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen, female
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen, female
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen, female
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen, male
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Out Of State Co.
Comment: NCSU specimen