Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Cicadellidae Members:	NC Records
Scaphoideus luteolus - White-banded Elm Leafhopper

Taxonomy

Family: Cicadellidae

Subfamily: Deltocephalinae

Tribe: Scaphoideini

Subgenus: Scaphoideus

Taxonomic Author: Van Duzee, 1894

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google

Description: Adults are typically a dusky amber yellow to orange color overall. The tip of the crown (top of the head) is whitish to yellow with a thin brown marginal line. There is a broad orange { shaped mark between the eyes, typically above a thin pale base of the crown (before the pronotum). The eyes are reddish (sometimes bright red) with a whitish longitudinal line going through them. The face is a golden yellow to pale orange color, as is the rest of the underside of this species; the abdominal segments though have a thin white border to the posterior edge. The pronotum is mostly an orange color, with a pale bluish-gray T-shaped marked. The scutellum is bicolored, with the anterior half orange and the posterior part a cream color. The wings are golden yellow to orange, with some scattered white spots; the tip of the wings have a thin dark border. The wing venation is brownish-yellow. The male genital valve and plates are golden yellow to orange. The female pregenital sternite is golden yellow to orange, with some dark brown shading; it has a narrow medial notch posteriorly, with two ventrally curved areas on either side of the notch. Adult males are 4.7-5.3 mm long, while females are 5.2-5.7 mm. (Barnett 1976)

The nymph is dark overall except for 2 to 3 whitish abdominal segments.

See here for more images of this species: BG.

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 and central United States (Barnett 1976)

Abundance: Recorded from several counties in the Piedmont, where quite uncommon; likely under collected and therefore more abundant.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Herbaceous woodland habitats

Plant Associates: Willow, elm (Ulmus americana), Vitis, cottonwood, other herbaceous plants (Barnett 1976)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species feeds on the leaf veins of elms, and can transmit elm yellows phytoplasma (CABI). For more information on Elm yellows, see: MISC 2009.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Scaphoideus luteolus White-banded Elm Leafhopper 15
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.5 mm female, came to UV light at night, wooded residential	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.5 mm female, came to UV light at night, wooded residential
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.5 mm female, came to UV light at night, wooded residential	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.5 mm female, came to UV light at night, wooded residential
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.2 mm female	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.2 mm female
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.2 mm female	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.3 mm female, came to UV light at night
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.3 mm female, came to UV light at night	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 5.3 mm female, came to UV light at night
	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Stanly Co. Comment: NCSU specimen; male	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Stanly Co. Comment: NCSU specimen; male
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Stanly Co. Comment: NCSU specimen; male

Scaphoideus luteolus - White-banded Elm Leafhopper

Species Photo Gallery for Scaphoideus luteolus White-banded Elm Leafhopper 15