Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

Enchenopa binotata (Say 1824) - Two-marked Treehopper MEMBRACIDAE Members:			NC Records	Public View

synonym

description

A dark, blackish-brown species with two distinctive yellowish marks down the back. The wings are mostly concolorous with the rest of the body, with rufous-tinted tips. Sexes can be distinguished from one another by the length of the horn- in females, the horn is noticeably long and prominent, while in males the horn is much smaller, sometimes nothing more than a little nub. Egg masses are whitish in color, resembling raised shells on a stem. Nymphs are a grayish color, with a small forward-facing horn and spines down the middle of the abdomen. See here for a nice depiction of the life cycle of nymphs of this genus.

For more pics of this species, see: BG.

distribution

Eastern United States

abundance

Recorded recently from a single county in the mountains, likely more abundant and under-reported.

seasonal_occurrence

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

habitat

Woodlands

plant associates

American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) (Deitz & Wallace, 2012), Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

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

Recent studies have shown that there are a number of undescribed species within the Enchenopa binotata species complex, with each undescribed species feeding on a specific, different host plant. These host plants include Cercis (redbud), Juglans (walnut), Viburnum, and Celastrus (this page). Adults of the various species cannot be distinguished from one another, so it is imperative to record the host plant that Enchenopa individuals are found on. Some nymphs of this complex are distinctive enough to be identified to species: see here.

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

Membracini

subgenus

Species Photo Gallery for Enchenopa binotata Two-marked Treehopper
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on stem of plant. The plant was growing along a fence in a suburban yard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on leaf of host along a fence line in a suburban backyard.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.
	Photo by: Scott Morris Buncombe Co. Comment: Found on plants that run along a metal fence line that separates two yards. There are a variety of invasive species along this fence, including Celastrus orbiculatus. The adult hoppers were found on two or three different plants several feet apart.

Species Photo Gallery for Enchenopa binotata Two-marked Treehopper