Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Enchenopa binotata - Two-marked Treehopper

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Membracinae	Tribe: Membracini
Taxonomic Author: (Say 1824)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A dark, blackish-brown species with two distinctive yellowish marks down the back. The wings are mostly concolorous with the rest of the body, with rufous-tinted tips. Sexes can be distinguished from one another by the length of the horn- in females, the horn is noticeably long and prominent, while in males the horn is much smaller, sometimes nothing more than a little nub. Egg masses are whitish in color, resembling raised shells on a stem. Nymphs are a grayish color, with a small forward-facing horn and spines down the middle of the abdomen. See here for a nice depiction of the life cycle of nymphs of this genus. 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 United States

Abundance: Recorded recently from a single county in the mountains, likely more abundant and under-reported.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Woodlands

Plant Associates: American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) (Deitz & Wallace, 2012), Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

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) .

Comment: Recent studies have shown that there are a number of undescribed species within the Enchenopa binotata species complex, with each undescribed species feeding on a specific, different host plant. These host plants include Cercis (redbud), Juglans (walnut), Viburnum, and Celastrus (this page). Adults of the various species cannot be distinguished from one another, so it is imperative to record the host plant that Enchenopa individuals are found on. Some nymphs of this complex are distinctive enough to be identified to species: see here.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Enchenopa binotata Two-marked Treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.

Enchenopa binotata - Two-marked Treehopper

Species Photo Gallery for Enchenopa binotata Two-marked Treehopper