Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers
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Publilia concava (Say, 1824) - Aster Treehopper     MEMBRACIDAE Members: NC Records Public View

© Kyle Kittelberger- female
© Kyle Kittelberger- female
© Kyle Kittelberger- male
synonym
description A highly variable species, with many color forms. Females are larger than males, and have a two-humped pronotum, with one above the head and the other midway on the pronotum. Males lack distinct peaks on their pronotum. There are prominent longitudinal ridges across the pronotum, which has a heavily punctate appearance. The legs are a yellowish-orange, and the lateral sides of the body and underside of the thorax and abdomen are black.

Nymphs are bicolored, with black over a green base; they have small spines extending from the abdomen in a single row.

distribution Eastern and central North America, east of the Rocky Mountains; also in Canada and Mexico (BG)
abundance Mostly restricted to the mountains, where it is common. Seasonal distribution: late May-7 October (CTNC)
seasonal_occurrence
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habitat Has been found in brushy vegetation near mixed hardwood, high elevation forest.
plant associates Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Ambrosia sp., Eupatorium sp., Helianthus sp., Solidago sp. (CTNC); also from Erigeron sp., Verbesina alternifolia (CTGSMNP)
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 This species is frequently tended by ants in the genus Formica, and this relationship between ant and treehopper has been studied. Adult P. concava overwinter in leaf litter and emerge in the spring to mate. Males die soon after mating while the females select the proper site to lay their eggs. Both nymphs and adults are tended by ants, and ant tending has been shown to have a strong effect on the survival of nymphs to adult hood in this species. The hoppers excrete honeydew, a sugary waste product from feeding on the phloem of plants, that the ants collect and use as a food resource. Female Publilia can actually sense the presence of ants and are more likely to oviposit on host plants where ants are present. Ants potentially offer predator protection to developing nymphs, or provide a form of maternal care that enables females the opportunity to exert resources and energy elsewhere, into producing a second brood of nymphs. For more on the relationship between ants and P. concava, see: ADOM, EHPQATTPC, and MAAATT.

Nymphs of Publilia concava are quite similar in appearance to those of Entylia carinata (the two species are closely related), even having more or less the same color pattern. In general, Entylia nymphs are more spiny than those of Publilia, often with two rows of spines down the abdomen compared to one in Publilia. There often tends to be a bold pair of yellow spines at the base of the thorax in Entylia. Older Entylia instars also show the pronotal shape characteristic of adults.

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 Polyglyptini
subgenus

Species Photo Gallery for Publilia concava Aster Treehopper

Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Watauga Co.
Comment: brushy vegetation surrounded by forest; many present		Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahan
Avery Co.
Comment: Male, Caught sweeping
Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahan
Avery Co.
Comment: Male, Caught sweeping		Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment: Female, Caught sweeping
Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment: Female, Caught sweeping		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: 4.7 mm, firmly situated, did not hop away as the plant was manipulated for photographs
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: 4.7 mm, firmly situated, did not hop away as the plant was manipulated for photographs		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: stubbornly sitting on Solidago
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: stubbornly sitting on Solidago		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: Publilia reticulata? - unid_treehopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: Publilia reticulata? - unid_treehopper		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Avery Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_leafhopper
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: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Ted Wilcox
Watauga Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper		Photo by: B. Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Fred Coyle
Jackson Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper		Photo by: Fred Coyle
Jackson Co.
Comment: unid_treehopper
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Photo by: Rob Van Epps
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Photo by: Marilyn Westphal
Henderson Co.
Comment: Several little groups on the same plant, ants all over them.		Photo by: Marilyn Westphal
Henderson Co.
Comment: Several little groups on the same plant, ants all over them.
Photo by: Marilyn Westphal, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin
Henderson Co.
Comment: Adult and 2 nymphs on a leaf		Photo by: Marilyn Westphal, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin
Henderson Co.
Comment: Adult and 2 nymphs on a leaf
Photo by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin
Madison Co.
Comment: Individual was in a curled leaf of a goldenrod in a meadow; remarkably tame and stayed immobile when the curled leaf was unfolded.