Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers
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MEMBRACIDAE Members: NC Records

Telamona tarda - No Common Name


© J. Allen Ratzlaff- note shape
Taxonomy
Family: MEMBRACIDAESubfamily: SmiliinaeTribe: Telamonini
Taxonomic Author: (Ball, 1925)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: This species has a rather narrow, almost horn-like pronotum which is very atypical for Telamona. Females have narrower, higher pronotal crests than males, whose crest has a much wider, triangular shaped base. This species is greenish-brown, with the crest usually a slightly darker coloration, and there tends to be scattered white speckling across the pronotum.

For more pics 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: Eastern North America
Abundance: Rare, a single record from the mountains but likely more abundant, just undetected.
Seasonal Occurrence
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Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Plant Associates: Unknown
Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.
Comment: The rather narrow, almost horn-like pronotum is very atypical for Telamona species, giving T. tarda visual similarity to Palonica/Glossonotus. However, the species in which there is the most difficulty separating from tarda is Telamona decorata. Males of decorata could be confused with tarda, and vice versa. Females of tarda have a much higher pronotum than decorata, and a majority of decorata males have the distinct quadrate pronotum, though some can have a more rounded, horn-like pronotum. The pronotum though is smaller in decorata males than tarda, and not as thickened at the base as in some tarda. T. decorata is also much more widespread and common than tarda. However, there is a bit of a gray area between the two species and an identification may therefore not be possible.
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Telamona tarda No Common Name

Photo by: J. Allen Ratzlaff
Buncombe Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1043859; ID det. by Matt Wallace; "probably a female"