Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Cicadellidae Members:	NC Records
Scaphytopius nigrifrons - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: Cicadellidae

Subfamily: Deltocephalinae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A dark species with a short, bluntly angled vertex. Males are entirely blackish, ranging in color from jet black to a glossy bluish black; the face is black, a key characteristic. Females are a dark brown overall, with a dark brown to black face that can have some small light dots and markings; the scutellum is orange. In both sexes, the vertex is marked with a pair of white elongated spots on either side of the midline; the margin of the vertex is also pale. Additionally, the wings in both sexes are largely unicolorous and lack most white markings; the white areolar spots are typically confined to two columns on either side of the apical crossveins, and there can be spots along the inner edge of the wings (down the back). The male subgenital plates are quite large, gradually narrowing and becoming rather blunt at the apexes. The female pregnital sternite is roundedly produced on the posterior margin. Adult males are 4.0 mm long, females are 4.6 mm. (DeLong 1948), (Hepner 1947) 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 United States, widespread but rare to uncommon.

Abundance: Recorded from several counties in the Piedmont and low mountains, likely more abundant in the right habitat.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats:

Plant Associates:

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: NOTE: It is important to photograph the face of individuals of this species so that they can be distinguished from similar Scaphytopius. Males of S. nigrifrons can resemble S. frontalis but differ in the wing pattern (fewer white areolar spots on the wing in nigrifrons) and more importantly in the color of the face: black in nigrifrons, yellow in frontalis.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Scaphytopius nigrifrons No Common Name
	Photo by: Erin Price-Erwin Guilford 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: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119471753	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119471753
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/119471753	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Guilford Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping in a grassy field.	Photo by: Randy Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: uv light - unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Randy Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: been seeing this, but difficult to get a decent photo. - unid_leafhopper	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: male
	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: male	Photo by: John Rosenfeld Out Of State Co. Comment: male
	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: tentative	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimen; females
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment: NCSU specimen; females	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; female	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: tiny, 3-4 mm at best. - unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: R Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: moth lights - unid_leafhopper

Scaphytopius nigrifrons - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Scaphytopius nigrifrons No Common Name