Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Erythridula complex 2 - Erythridula aesculella or rubroscuta CICADELLIDAE Members:			NC Records	Public View

synonym

description

A largely bicolored hopper, mostly yellowish-white with variable red patches across the body: in some individuals the scutellum/pronotum lacks any red coloration, whereas in others these areas are entirely red. In all individuals though, there is an incomplete red transverse crossband across the middle of the wings. Adults are around 3.1-3.4 mm long.

For more images of this group, see: BG.

distribution

Eastern United States

abundance

Scattered records from the Piedmont and mountains, probably found throughout the state.

seasonal_occurrence

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

habitat

Forested areas

plant associates

Both species primarily feed on Aesculus glabra: E. aesculella, E. rubroscuta.

behavior

Can be attracted at night with a light.

comments

Erythridula is a very challenging genus to identify to species level, as there can be variation in pattern and coloration within species, and many species resemble one another. Dissecting specimens is the the only way to determine species for many cases. This page represents individuals that could represent either E. aesculella or E. rubroscuta, two species that are essentially identical in appearance and coloration. Therefore, it is not reliable to distinguish any individuals in this group to species level without analyzing a specimen. Below are the descriptions from the 3I database, and links to those species profile pages, that show how similar these species can be to one another.

E. aesculella- Dorsum yellow or white. Color pattern red or orange. Vertex unicolorous. Vertex midline pale. Face without black spots anterodorsad of antennal pits. Anteclypeus pale, concolorous with rest of face. Pronotum almost entirely dark. Mesonotum entirely dark, apex pale, contrasting with rest of mesonotum. Thoracic venter entirely pale. Forewings without oblique vittae, with crossband, not reaching lateral margins and bases of wings, without numerous irregular red dots. Clavus with dark band, apex and base pale. Forewings without dark spot on costal margin. Forewing apical cell II without distal spot, inner apical cell without brown spot. Abdomen pale dorsally.

E. rubroscuta- Dorsum yellow or white. Color pattern red or orange. Vertex unicolorous or with oblique lateral vittae. Vertex midline pale. Face without black spots anterodorsad of antennal pits. Anteclypeus pale, concolorous with rest of face. Pronotum almost entirely dark. Mesonotum entirely dark, apex concolorous with rest of mesonotum. Thoracic venter entirely pale. Forewings without oblique vittae, with crossband, not reaching lateral margins and bases of wings, without numerous irregular red dots. Clavus with dark band, apex and base pale. Forewings without dark spot on costal margin. Forewing apical cell II without distal spot, inner apical cell without brown spot. Abdomen pale dorsally.

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

Erythroneurini

subgenus

Species Photo Gallery for Erythridula complex 2 Erythridula aesculella or rubroscuta
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Randolph Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Randolph Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: female; aesculella or rubroscuta	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Polk Co. Comment: female; aesculella or rubroscuta
	Photo by: J. Bolling Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: elev.=3200 2 females, 1 male (photographed)	Photo by: J. Bolling Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: elev.=3200 2 females, 1 male (photographed)
	Photo by: J. Bolling Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: elev.=3200 2 females, 1 male (photographed)	Photo by: J. Bolling Sullivan Ashe Co. Comment: elev.=3200 2 females, 1 male (photographed)
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Montgomery Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Montgomery Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Scott Bolick Henderson Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Henderson Co. Comment:

Species Photo Gallery for Erythridula complex 2 Erythridula aesculella or rubroscuta