Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CICADELLIDAE Members:	NC Records
Sophonia orientalis - Two-spotted Leafhopper

Taxonomy

Family: CICADELLIDAE

Subfamily: Evacanthinae

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: An unmistakable species, nothing else in our fauna can be confused with it. Adults are yellowish with a bold dark brown to black longitudinal stripe, sometimes bordered by red, down the center of the wings along the commissure. There are two bold black "eye" spots at the apex of each wing, where there is some rufous color present. The middorsal stripe splits into two thin, parallel bands on the head and ends at a prominent black spot at the apex of the head. Nymphs are uniformly green or light-yellow and have a shovel-shaped nose, as well as a pair of small black spots at the rear end of the abdomen (CABI).

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Native to southern Asia, it was introduced in North America where it was first recorded in California in 1996. It has since spread across the southern portions of the country, from California east to North Carolina and Virginia. (BG)

Abundance: Recorded recently from a few counties in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, likely a recent arrival in the state and probably more abundant elsewhere as this species is expanding its range.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Found in a variety of habitats, though studies have shown this species has a preference for wetter, closed habitats rather than drier, open ones (CABI).

Plant Associates: Extremely polyphagous, this species attacks more than 300 plant species in over 83 families; resident breeding populations have been recently discovered in ornamental, vegetable, and fruit crops in California (BG). For a larger list of host plants, see: PKB.

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light. Adults and nymphs have been found to be present throughout most of the year, suggesting several annual generations (BG).

Comment: This species can have a variety of negative impacts on host plants. It produces, as a result of feeding, interveinal chlorosis and vein browning that can eventually lead to the death of affected leaves. It also decreases stem length and diameter, the number of nodes, leaf area and net carbon dioxide assimilation. Furthermore, oviposition can kill off distal leaf tissue by interrupting the flow of water and nutrients in the plant. (CABI)

Status: Introduced

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Sophonia orientalis Two-spotted Leafhopper
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping in a wet, weedy retention area.	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping in a wet, weedy retention area.
	Photo by: R. Newman Carteret Co. Comment: FOMA	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck on a tree band on Willow Oak
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann, David George, Rich Teper, Jeff Niznik New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: encountered while beating low vegetation
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: stuck in Tanglefoot on a tree band erected between mid-December and 1/12/22
	Photo by: B. Bockhahn Onslow Co. Comment: Sweep net	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Stuck in Tanglefoot in a tree band on Willow Oak. I've seen several as I begin monitoring trees this winter, averaging roughly 1 individual for every 3 trees.
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62081360	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61438760
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Underside of Magnolia leaf; an adult was on another.	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 4.8 mm, sweep of vegetation around wet retention area
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Paul Scharf 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

Sophonia orientalis - Two-spotted Leafhopper

Species Photo Gallery for Sophonia orientalis Two-spotted Leafhopper