Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Cicadellidae Members:	NC Records
Penthimia americana - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: Cicadellidae	Subfamily: Deltocephalinae	Tribe: Penthimiini
Taxonomic Author: (Fitch, 1851)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist

Description: A somewhat dark reddish-brown to black species, with fuscous and/or blackish coloration, and a rounded body profile. Males are blackish overall with hints of orange, especially around the scutellum. Females are orange but have a dark band across the back of the wings. The head is over half as long at the middle as the basal width of the crown between the eyes and does not noticeably project past the eyes when viewed from the side (it appears quite rounded and downcurved); the head is more of a pentagon-like shape, without a defined projecting apex. The apical wing cells and posterior parts of subapical cells are hyaline ochreous, with dark venation and dark suffusions in the central areas of these wing cells. The female pregenital sternite is slightly notched on either side of a produced posterior median lobe. Male subgenital plates are broad and triangular. Adults are 5.0-6.0 mm long. (DeLong 1942, 1948, Beirne 1956)

Young nymphs are a mixture of dark and light coloration, while older nymph instars are orange (though some are darker). Nymphs have the characteristic head profile of the adults.

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.

Out of State Record(s)

Distribution: Eastern North America, east of the Rocky Mountains (Zahniser)

Abundance: Scattered records across the state, uncommon and infrequently encountered.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Woodlands, shrubby areas, and openings, such as cut-over areas, which have oaks (DeLong 1942, 1948)

Plant Associates: Oaks (Quercus spp.), hickory and other shrubs (DeLong 1923); gray birch (Betula populifolia; Lowry 1933)

Behavior:

Comment: NOTE: This genus is very unique among the leafhoppers in the area, as it does not look like a typical leafhopper and instead resembles a spittlebug (Cercopids, in particular Clastoptera). However, note that there are spines on the sides of the legs, which spittlebugs lack.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Penthimia americana - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Penthimia americana No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Penthimia americana No Common Name
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: J. Thomson Madison Co. Comment: On a plant on the bank of Big Laurel Creek
	Photo by: J. Thomson Madison Co. Comment: On a plant on the bank of Big Laurel Creek	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found during the day resting on leaf of American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana).
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Bladen Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64322657	Photo by: Erich Hofmann Bladen Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64322657
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found during the day resting on leaf of American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana).	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found during the day resting on leaf of American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana).
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; male (dark) and female (orange)