description |
A boldly marked but highly variable species with a yellow or white dorsum with a reddish-brown color pattern. All adults have an entirely dark thorax except for a pale whitish apex of the scutellum. This species has four main color forms, and then variation in-between. In the nominate form, individuals are reddish overall with mostly red wings and two white patches: one at the base of the fissure of the wings, next to the scutellum, and the other near the wing tips; there is also a white mark on the middle of the costal margin of each wing. A color variety of this form is almost entirely red, with only the white patch near the wing tips and a small spot at the base of the scutellum. Individuals of the form 'stricta' have two white bands across the wings that separate a median dark reddish-brown saddle; this dark saddle has a dagger-shaped point extending downwards on each wing; this form also has a paler tip to the head. Individuals of the form 'rubranota' have three white spots replacing the upper white band on the wing found in 'stricta'; the spots are separated by a a bold reddish-brown band extending along the clavus of each wing. The face and underside of the thorax are pale. Adults are 2.9-3.2 mm long. (Dmitriev & Dietrich, 2007)
For additional images of variation among individuals of this species, see: BG. |
comments |
Form 'stricta' of this species could be most confused with E. vitis (this form was actually considered a form of E. vitis for a while). However, note that in bistrata, there are noticeably pointed lateral margins of the median red band, whereas in vitis the bands lack this characteristic. More importantly though, the apex of the scutellum is dark in vitis, concolorous with the rest of the mesonotum; in bistrata, the apex of the scutellum is whitish, contrasting sharply with the rest of the dark mesonotum. For example, this inidividual of vitis looks just like var. 'stricta' of bistrata, but has a dark apex of the scutellum. In some cases, an ID may not be possible. |
Species Photo Gallery for Erythroneura bistrata No Common Name |
![](photos_records/2013/tnErythroneura_bistrata1376351854.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: open forest habitat near a pond | ![](photos_records/2013/tnErythroneura_bistrata1376353127.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat |
![](photos_records/2015/tnErythroneura_bistrata1426474182.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat | ![](photos_records/2015/tnErythroneura_bistrata1426474350.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat |
![](photos_records/2013/tnErythroneura_bistrata1381147136.JPG) | Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light | ![](photos_records/2015/tnErythroneura_bistrata1426474448.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: mixed hardwood, open forest near lake edge |
![](photos_records/2014/tnErythroneura_bistrata1410147616.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat | ![](photos_records/2018/06/tnunid_leafhopper1529466743_0.jpg) | Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: UV light - unid_leafhopper |
![](photos_records/2018/07/tnunid_leafhopper1530847335_0.jpg) | Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: uv lights - unid_leafhopperrnrngoes with the previous entry. - unid_leafhopper | ![](photos_records/2018/07/tnunid_leafhopper1530847016_0.jpg) | Photo by: Randy L Emmitt Orange Co. Comment: uv lights - unid_leafhopper |
![](photos_records/2019/10/tnErythroneura_bistrata1572305572.JPG) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light in back yard. | ![](photos_records/2019/07/tnunid_leafhopper1563191858_0.jpg) | Photo by: Jim Petranka Madison Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2019/08/tnErythroneura_bistrata1564711332_0.JPG) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light. | ![](photos_records/2019/08/tnErythroneura_bistrata1564711332_1.JPG) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light. |
![](photos_records/2019/10/tnErythroneura_bistrata1572189058.jpg) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light. | ![](photos_records/2019/tnErythroneura_bistrata1572189599.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment: form \'stricta\' |
![](photos_records/2019/10/tnErythroneura_bistrata1572189616.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment: form 'stricta' | ![](photos_records/2020/04/tnErythroneura_bistrata1587237781_0.JPG) | Photo by: B. Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2020/09/tnErythroneura_bistrata1601325083_0.JPG) | Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970181 | ![](photos_records/2020/09/tnErythroneura_bistrata1601325084_1.JPG) | Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970181 |
![](photos_records/2020/09/tnErythroneura_bistrata1601325084_2.JPG) | Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970181 | ![](photos_records/2020/09/tnErythroneura_bistrata1601325084_3.JPG) | Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970181 |
![](photos_records/2020/10/tnErythroneura_bistrata1602110805_0.jpeg) | Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/10/tnErythroneura_bistrata1602110805_1.jpeg) | Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2023/01/tnErythroneura_bistrata1673289859_0.jpg) | Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2023/01/tnErythroneura_bistrata1673289860_1.jpg) | Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment: |
|