Hoppers of North Carolina:
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CICADELLIDAE Members: NC Records

Balclutha impicta - No Common Name


© Kyle Kittelberger- side view, green form
© Kyle Kittelberger- top view, green form
© Paul Scharf- spotted form
Taxonomy
Family: CICADELLIDAESubfamily: Deltocephalinae
Taxonomic Author: (Van Duzee), 1892
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: This species ranges in color from pale green to a dull brown/yellow. The face frequently has brown lines on either side of the midline, and there are often brown/orange markings on the vertex and pronotum; there tend to be dark longitudinal bands on the pronotum. The vertex is typically slightly longer in the middle than next to the eye. The wings vary from having an irregular number of scattered brown/black dots to [more commonly] being unspotted, in which case the wings are concolorous with the body color; the underside of the thorax and abdominal dorsum are dark/black. The head is distinctly narrower than the pronotum, which is overall triangular in shape; this results in the head having a strong curve around the pronotum and therefore appearing pointed rather than circular. The female pregenital sternite has a truncated posterior margin, sometimes slightly sinuate apically. Adult males are 3.5 to 4.2 mm long, females are 3.6 to 4.0 mm. (Blocker, 1967)

For images of a couple diagrams of the genitalia, see: 3i.

Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Distribution: Primarily Eastern North America but transcontinental (3i)
Abundance: A locally common species, recorded across the state in all three regions.
Seasonal Occurrence
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Found in woodlands and forest edge, meadows and fields, other grassy/herbaceous areas.
Plant Associates: A generalist species on grasses (BG)
Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.
Comment: NOTE: B. impicta is very similar to B. punctata and probably cannot be conclusively separated from this species without analyzing the genitalia of a male. Both species have a high degree of variability in both color (ranging from yellow to green) and pattern (with or without spots across the wings and body); the female pregenital sternites are also extremely similar to one another. For now, non-collection records on here for impicta are tentative at best until identification challenges between impicta and punctata can be cleared up.
Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Balclutha impicta No Common Name

Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to Light		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to UV Light
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to UV Light		Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common
Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common		Photo by: Paul Scharf, Brian Bockhahn
Avery Co.
Comment: Caught Sweeping , locally common
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to Black Light		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf
Wake Co.
Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf
Wake Co.
Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf
Wake Co.
Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; green form
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf
Avery Co.
Comment: grassy and vegetated, shrubby habitat surrounded by forest; also the edge of the river. 2 "spotted" individuals		Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to Black Light
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Warren Co.
Comment: Attracted to Blavk Light		Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: microstygium, mixed hardwood forest habitat
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat