Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Cyrtolobus tuberosus - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE

Subfamily: Smiliinae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: The largest member of this genus. Adults are brown mottled with darker brown. The head is triangular, broader than long, and is ochraceous tinged with red and brown. The eyes are large and brown and the ocelli (eyespots) are small and yellowish, being nearer to each other than to the eyes. The pronotum is deeply and closely punctate with a high, noticeable crest; a key distinguishing characteristic. While males can be much darker than females, some male types are very similar in coloration to females; these males however are smaller than the females. Females are brownish overall, with a light brown front and rear tip of the pronotum, and a darker reddish brown section between the two transverse bands (which are not as well defined as in other species), around the mid-dorsal spot. The mid-dorsal spot is broad and curves inward from the edge of the pronotum, connecting to the posterior transverse band. Males are considerably darker than females, with largely replacing brown areas. Both sexes have a black tip to the wings, and the underside of the thorax is yellow. The legs are rusty, with a black base in males. Females are 9.5 mm long, with males slightly smaller. (Kopp)

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 North America (Kopp)

Abundance: Found in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain where it is uncommon. Seasonal distribution: 16 April-1 June (CTNC)

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest; where oaks are present.

Plant Associates: Quercus alba, Q. margarettiae, Q. marilandica, Q. nigra, Q. prinus, Q. rubra, Q. stellata, Q. virginiana (CTNC)

Behavior: To listen to the male courtship call for this genus, listen here. These courtship calls are not audible to the human ear, and the calls here are produced by recording the substrate vibrations that the treehoppers use to communicate through the plants themselves. The recorded call is then amplified so that it is now audible to human ears. Research has shown that treehoppers use vibrations to attract mates, to announce the discovery of a good feeding site, or to alert a defending mother to the approach of a predator (T.IM).

"The large Cyrtolobus, like tuberosus, have parameres (styles) more like some Xantholobus spp. It’s pretty good evidence that tuberosus and some Xantholobus should be placed in their own genus. There is also some phylogenetic evidence to support this" (M. Wallace pers. comment).

Comment: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

See also Habitat Account for General Oak-Hickory Forests

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus tuberosus No Common Name
	Photo by: R. Newman Carteret Co. Comment: FOMA	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: K. Bischof Transylvania Co. Comment: GORG	Photo by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: Attracted to 15W UV lamp
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light. Suburban yard near woods.	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest; male
	Photo by: E. Corey, T. DeSantis Onslow Co. Comment: HABE	Photo by: aubrey wiggins Wake Co. Comment: unid_planthopper
	Photo by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment:	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Several attracted to Black Light; male
	Photo by: Britta Muiznieks Dare Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment: male	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Several attracted to Black Light
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat, near the road

Cyrtolobus tuberosus - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Cyrtolobus tuberosus No Common Name