Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Ophiderma flavicephala Goding - No Common Name MEMBRACIDAE Members:			NC Records	Public View

synonym

description

Females are brown to rufous overall with a pale yellow lateral stripe on each side of the pronotum. Females are densely pubescent with long hairs, and the pronotum gradually slopes downwards. The wings have a broad rufous/brown base and a dark tip. The head is much broader than long and sparingly pubescent with long hairs; there is a small black spot above the ocelli, which are prominent and a brilliant red. The undersurface of the thorax is fuscous, and the abdomen is yellowish. Legs are reddish-brown. Males are slightly smaller than females but much darker, with a black pronotum. The lateral stripes are a bright white on the males, and there is a white transverse band near the rear tip of the abdomen (sometimes this band is broken or incomplete). Males also have heavier pubescence, especially on the anterior part of the pronotum, compared to the female. Adults are between 5.5 and 6.0 mm long. (Kopp, 1973)

distribution

Eastern and central North America

abundance

Scattered records across the state, uncommon. Seasonal distribution: 23 April-18 June (CTNC)

seasonal_occurrence

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

habitat

Has been found near mixed hardwood forest; where oak is present.

plant associates

Quercus alba, Q. coccinea, Q. falcata, Q. nigra, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. rubra var. ambigua, Q. stellata (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).

comments

Can be attracted at night with a light.

status

[Native:] [Introduced:] [Extirpated:]

list_type

[Official:] [Provisional:]

adult_id

Unmistakable and widely known Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens
Identifiable from photos showing undersides, or other specialized views [e.g., legs, face]
Identifiable only by close inspection of structural features or by DNA analysis NULL

nymph_id

Unmistakable and widely known Identifiable from good quality photos, especially where associated with known host plants
Identifiable from close inspection of specimens or by DNA analysis
Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood NULL

G_rank

S_rank

rank_comments

tribe

subgenus

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flavicephala No Common Name
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights
	Photo by: Paul Scharf, B Bockhahn, L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to UV & Black Lights	Photo by: F. Williams, S. Williams Gates Co. Comment: MEMI
	Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace Out Of State Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree bandrn
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree bandrn	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band (alive)
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm female on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band (alive)	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: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 6 mm females trapped in Tanglefoot on a tree band on Quercus phellos	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree brand on oak
	Photo by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:	Photo by: Simpson Eason Durham Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found on Willow Oak	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Found on Willow Oak

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma flavicephala No Common Name