Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

CIXIIDAE Members:	NC Records
Melanoliarus humilis - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: CIXIIDAE	Tribe: Pentastirini
Taxonomic Author: (Say, 1830)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A distinctive species. The vertex and mesonotum are dark brown to black, and the face is entirely fuscous except for carinae that vary from brown to dull orange. The vertex is variably wide but usually appears broad and divergent basally. The wings lack spots and are hyaline except for the apical third (the tips), which are contrastingly dark; in some specimens, the basal two-thirds of the wing are almost concolorous with the tips. The wing venation is a uniform brown color. Small, with males 4.1 to 5.0 mm long. (Mead & Kramer, 1982) See here for images of live adults, and here for pinned specimens.

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Transcontinental, found across the United States and Canada (UDEL)

Abundance: Recorded from across the state, but priamrily in the Piedmont; for some reason, this species seems to be quite locally abundant in North Carolina compared to other states.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been reported from pasture, bogs, prairie, river edge, rye, etc.; seems to predominate in damp habitats in cooler climates. (Mead & Kramer, 1982)

Plant Associates: Adults have been taken from Poa pratensis, Carya sp., Asimina sp., and Medicago sativa. (Mead & Kramer, 1982)

"Nymphs of cixiids are subterranean, feeding on roots and possibly fungi. The significance of adult host records is unclear. Many cixiids are presumed to be polyphagous (as adults), most often on woody plants." (UDEL)

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This may be the most difficult genus of planthoppers, perhaps even hoppers to identify in North Carolina. However, M. humilis may be the easiest and only species to identify in the genus from a photo as it is quite visually distinctive.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Melanoliarus humilis - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Melanoliarus humilis No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Melanoliarus humilis No Common Name
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_planthopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_planthopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_planthopper	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_planthopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment:	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper
	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Watauga Co. Comment: unid_leafhopper	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Caught sweeping	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Scott Forsyth Co. Comment:	Photo by: Scott Bolick Forsyth Co. Comment:
	Photo by: J L Davidson Co. Comment:	Photo by: ROBERT MEEHAN Durham Co. Comment:
	Photo by: ROBERT MEEHAN Durham Co. Comment:	Photo by: ROBERT MEEHAN Durham Co. Comment:
	Photo by: ROBERT MEEHAN Durham Co. Comment: