Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

MEMBRACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Hebetica sylviae - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: MEMBRACIDAE	Subfamily: Darninae	Tribe: Darnini
Taxonomic Author: McKamey & Sullivan-Beckers, 2019

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist Google
Description: A brownish-green species, with the pronotum a unicolorous green or pale brown color with a darker apex and black pronotal pits. The legs are pale brown except that the femora are dorsally black for most of their length. Short, numerous setae cover the pronotum. Adult males are 7.5-8.2 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, females are 8.9-10.0 mm long and 5.0 mm wide. (McKamey & Sullivan-Beckers, 2019) 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: Southeastern United States (BG)

Abundance: Rare, recorded from a single county so far in the Piedmont.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Woodland

Plant Associates: Unclear, perhaps oaks (Quercus spp.); in NC, has been found on white mulberry.

Behavior:

Comment: This species was only officially described in 2019 from Kentucky, and has since been documented across the Southeast. It is the easternmost species of Darnini in the United States and the only member of Hebetica in the country, with the other described Hebetica species in South America and the other Darnini taxa belonging to Stictopelta. This new species could be exotic and have been introduced in the United States, since it went undiscovered for so long until recently (and there appears to be an increase over time in the detection of this species in the Southeast) (McKamey & Sullivan-Beckers, 2019).

The wasp Hoplosoides costalis is a frequent predator of this species, with it burying specimens in its subterranean burrows for its larvae (McKamey & Sullivan-Beckers, 2019).

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Hebetica sylviae No Common Name
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper - unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper - unid_treehopper	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper - unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: unid_treehopper - unid_treehopper	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: State record
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: State record	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: State record
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: State record

Hebetica sylviae - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Hebetica sylviae No Common Name