Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Idiocerus n-species - Undescribed Idiocerus Species

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Eurymelinae

Tribe: Idiocerini

Synonym: Idiocerus nr. albolinea

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A distinctive looking hopper, a rusty-brown yellowish color overall with black wing venation and white marks across the wings. The scutellum has a pale yellow base with two black triangles in the upper corner and a smaller black mark between them (not always present, perhaps a sexually dimorphic feature that is only present in males?); the posterior half of the scutellum may be yellow or show a white or red stripe. The pronotum is reddish-brown with a distinctive, broad longitudinal white stripe that typically ends before reaching the head. Males have a black clubbed-tip to the antennae, characteristic of male Idiocerus. The female pregenital sternite has a slightly waved posterior margin, with the slightest of notches. 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: Primarily recorded in the Southeastern United States, uncommon.

Abundance: Scattered records across the state, uncommon to locally common.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in grassy, brushy habitat near montane forest; also mixed hardwood forests.

Plant Associates:

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is likely undescribed, as it is much further south than the known range of the similar I. albolinea (found in Canada and neighboring states). Specimens at the NCSU collection labeled as I. alternatus pertain to this undescribed species, and therefore collection records of I. alternatus have been included on here for the undescribed species. A female specimen that was DNA barcoded in 2018 was determined to be highly divergent from I. apache and I. albolinea, supporting the notion that this 'species' is undescribed. "The sternal apodemes in the dissected male are clearly different from anything illustrated in [the] revision of the genus, assuming these are fully developed. The antennal discs are also different from similar species, fairly narrow and pointed at both ends. I will have to do some more research, but I haven’t found any names with type localities in the region where you’ve found this, which further suggests it is not yet named."- Joel Kits.

UPDATED 3/16/22- This is indeed an undescribed species, per J. Kits who has dissected one of the individuals.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Idiocerus n-species - Undescribed Idiocerus Species

Species Photo Gallery for Idiocerus n-species Undescribed Idiocerus Species

Species Photo Gallery for Idiocerus n-species Undescribed Idiocerus Species
	Photo by: R. Newman Carteret Co. Comment: FOMA	Photo by: Solomon Hendrix Wake Co. Comment: attracted to light
	Photo by: Solomon Hendrix Wake Co. Comment: attracted to light	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Macon Co. Comment:
	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Macon Co. Comment:	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Macon Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: Found on an Alder stem. - unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: Found on an Alder stem. - unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 5.0 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 5.0 mm
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 5.0 mm	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59676780
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59676780	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/59676780
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 4.9 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 4.9 mm
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 4.9 mm	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: male, 4.9 mm
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Bo Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34855017rnrn Attracted to UV light -
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy and brushy vegetation surrounded by forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Avery Co. Comment: grassy and brushy vegetation surrounded by forest	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: grassy area near mixed hardwood forest and a pond; female
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: grassy area near mixed hardwood forest and a pond; female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: grassy area near mixed hardwood forest and a pond; female
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B. Bockhahn,C. Mitchell Durham Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Lights	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B. Bockhahn,C. Mitchell Durham Co. Comment: Attracted to UV Lights
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; as I. alternatus	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: NCSU specimens; as I. alternatus
	Photo by: Randy Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: stayed briefly UV light - unid_leafhopper