Hoppers of North Carolina:
Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, Treehoppers, and Planthoppers
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Ophiderma salamandra Fairmaire, 1846 - No Common Name     MEMBRACIDAE Members: NC Records Public View

© Matthew S. Wallace- male
© Matthew S. Wallace- female
© Kyle Kittelberger- female; note pronotal hump
© Margarita Lankford- female, note robust body
synonym
description A large robust brown species, very pubescent with short, black, bristly hairs. The head is broader than long and is yellow and very hairy. The eyes are large and brown, and the ocelli are red and prominent. Females have a reddish-brown to black pronotum with mottling. There is an indistinct transverse band near the rear. Males are smaller and darker than females, having a mostly black pronotum with small whitish bands; the bands on the lateral margin have some white mottling on the inside of the band. The forewings are smoky hyaline with prominent dark veins and a black smudge to the wing tip. The underside of the head and thorax are dark and the abdomen is yellowish; the legs are blackish. Adult males are 6.8-7.5 mm, females are 7.4-8.8 mm. (Kopp, 1973)
distribution Eastern and central North America
abundance Uncommon to locally common across the state. Seasonal distribution: 18 April-31 August (CTNC)
seasonal_occurrence
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habitat Where oaks are present.
plant associates Quercus falcata, Q. nigra, Q. palustris, Q. phellos, Q. rubra, Q. stellata, Q. velutina (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 O. salamandra may [typically] be distinguished from other Ophiderma species by the spotted color pattern on the pronotum, but more importantly by how robust this species is. All other Ophiderma in the eastern U.S. are slimmer than O. salamandra. (M. Rothschild, pers. comment)
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
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subgenus

Species Photo Gallery for Ophiderma salamandra No Common Name

Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male		Photo by: Matthew S. Wallace
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: came to CFL, UV light combo, cove forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Yancey Co.
Comment: came to CFL, UV light combo, cove forest edge with small lawn and meadow nearby
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364		Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364
Photo by: Margarita Lankford
Orange Co.
Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42625364		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 7.8 mm female, on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.8 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.8 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.8 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separatelyrn
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.7 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately		Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.7 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 6.7 mm male on Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band, others of both sexes nearby to be submitted separately		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