Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Stictocephala taurina (Fitch, 1856) - No Common Name MEMBRACIDAE Members:			NC Records	Public View

synonym

description

A green species with many pale spots scattered all over the pronotum. The horns are prominent but not overly large and may have a dark edge to them. The legs are green. The nymph is typical for this genus, see above. Adults are 7.5 mm long (BG).

distribution

Transcontinental

abundance

Recorded from the mountains and Piedmont. Seasonal distribution: 19 June-18 September (CTNC)

seasonal_occurrence

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

habitat

plant associates

Helianthus sp., Rubus sp., Sambucus canadensis, Smilax sp. (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

Many Stictocephala may not be identifiable from an image; this is a very difficult group of treehoppers to identify correctly (for many species). This species is perhaps most similar to Hadrophallus bubalus, as both species have a very similar color pattern and a similarly sized pronotum. However, H. bubalus has dense pubescence (white hair) scattered across the pronotum, whereas taurina has little to no pubescence.

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 Stictocephala taurina No Common Name
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: edge of lush forest at foothills of Black Mountains with small lawn and meadow nearby
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: edge of lush forest at foothills of Black Mountains with small lawn and meadow nearby	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Yancey Co. Comment: edge of lush forest at foothills of Black Mountains with small lawn and meadow nearby; TENTATIVE ID
	Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Avery Co. Comment: unid_treehopper	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_treehopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Watauga Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Watauga Co. Comment:

Species Photo Gallery for Stictocephala taurina No Common Name