Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Erythroneura elegans - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE	Subfamily: Typhlocybinae	Tribe: Erythroneurini
Taxonomic Author: (McAtee, 1920)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A somewhat distinctive species with a yellow or white dorsum and a red to dark grayish brown overlaying color pattern. There are two large white spots on the back along the fissure of the wings (one circular near the scutellum, the other clover-shaped near the wing tips), and white block-shaped patches on the costal margins of each wing; these white spots give this species a distinctive color pattern. The mesonotum is dark, with two dark red lateral triangles in each upper corner; the apex of the scutellum is dark, concolorous with the rest of the mesonotum. The pronotum is dark, sometimes a bluish or greenish color, with a red bar on each margin and a red Y-shaped mark in the middle. The head has orange parallel lines that extended from the thoracic red Y; in darker, more colored individuals, the markings on the mesonotum, thorax, and head may not be as well defined and may blend together. There is a dark mark on the costal margins of the wing, and four black spots near the rear of the wing (if the wing is closed, only "3" spots may be visible; 2 of the spots are on the wing tip); the rear of the wing itself is dark. Note that there is a diagonal line extending upwards from the costal margin to the dark tips on each wing. Length is 2.7-2.9 mm. (Dmitriev & Dietrich, 2007) For more images of this species that includes some variation in color and pattern, see: BG.

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Distribution: Found throughout North America, with a concentration of records in eastern and central United States and southern Canada (3I)

Abundance: Recorded recently from several counties across the state, where it can be locally common in the Piedmont; likely more abundant throughout the state in the right habitat.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in mixed hardwood and open pine forest habitats.

Plant Associates: Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia); also Vitis spp. (Grape) (3I)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is most similar to E. prosata and E. rosa. Note that prosata is noticeably darker, with a blackish-brown color patter, a gray rather than white patch at the apex of the scutellum, and smaller white areas on the wings. The nominate form of E. rosa tends to have a more restrictive red pattern across the wings, and the white dorsal patch closer to the wing tips is a bit filled in, with less white than in E. elegans.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Erythroneura elegans No Common Name
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Wilson Co. Comment:	Photo by: John Petranka Watauga Co. Comment: Attracted to 15W UV light sheet.
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Yard near woods.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Attracted to UV light. Yard near woods.
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Came to UV light.	Photo by: T. DeSantis Durham Co. Comment: ENRI
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted to Black Light	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat

Erythroneura elegans - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Erythroneura elegans No Common Name