Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

DELPHACIDAE Members:	NC Records
Metadelphax propinqua - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: DELPHACIDAE	Subfamily: Delphacinae	Synonym: Toya propinqua
Taxonomic Author: (Fieber, 1866)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A highly variable species in which short (brachypter) and long-winged (macropter) forms are common. Adult macropterous males are around 3.29 mm long, while brachypters are around 1.97 mm; macropter females are around 3.37 mm and brachypters are on average around 2.35 mm. Adults are generally yellowish tan to brownish in color, and the face is embrowned with pale/white ridges and darker borders to the embrowned parts. The two antennal segments are pale with dark margins apically on segment I and basally on segment II. The pronotum is concolorous with the rest of the body, and the wings can be slightly fuscous. Brachypterous individuals tend to be paler than macropters. This species closely resembles M. wetmorei and Toya idonea. However, M. wetmorei is described as consistently exhibiting dark intercarinal regions compared to propinqua which has embrowned regions with dark borders on the frons: the frons in wetmorei is completely dark with white ridges, while it is brown with a black border and white ridges in propinqua. Furthermore, wetmorei tends to have a dark clypeus (lower part of the face), whereas propinqua's clypeus is pale. These features are compounded by the fact that variation occurs in the two species with regards to the face and should not be used as a definitive distinguishing feature. However, while propinqua tends to have pale antennal segments, there is a dark brown ring around the juncture of the two segments in wetmorei. T. idonea resembles both species but has a darkened face like in wetmorei and pale antennal segments like in propinqua. It is helpful to photograph the face of individuals that may represent one of these three species, but in some cases an ID may not be possible. For images of pinned specimens from these three closely related species, see: propinqua, wetmorei, and idonea. For more information about these three species and species-specific characteristics, see: G & B 2007.

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Cosmopolitan (found everywhere), especially in tropics and warm temperate regions; from Argentina to Canada, South Africa to Europe and central Asia. Adventive to the New World, first recorded in North America in California around 1880. (UDEL), (BG)

Abundance: Common, recorded throughout the state, especially from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Seasonal Occurrence

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

Habitats and Life History

Habitats: Has been found in grassy areas.

Plant Associates: Reported on about 15 grass species, including sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), maize (Zea mays), and rice (Oryza sativa). (UDEL) Metadelphax propinqua reaches high population levels on Bermuda grass.

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is known to transmit Cynodon chlorotic streak nucleorhabdovirus in corn and bermudagrass, Maize rough dwarf virus, and barley yellow striate mosaic cytorhabdovirus. (UDEL)

Status: Introduced

Global and State Rank:

Metadelphax propinqua - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Metadelphax propinqua No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Metadelphax propinqua No Common Name
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 3.5 mm	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 3.5 mm
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: 3.5 mm	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: caught during a sweep through a wet area in an athletic field
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: caught during a sweep through a wet area in an athletic field	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: caught during a sweep through a wet area in an athletic field
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: caught during a sweep through a wet area in an athletic field	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Dare Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61163309
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Dare Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/61163309	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970173
	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970173	Photo by: Erich Hofmann New Hanover Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/60970173
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55853890	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55853890
	Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55853890	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:
	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:	Photo by: J. B. Sullivan Yancey Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Open area near woods. Attracted to black light.	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Wet area with cattails and goldenrod.
	Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: Wet area with cattails and goldenrod.	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger Wake Co. Comment: near mixed hardwood forest
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated; 2 specimens photographed	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated; 2 specimens photographed
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated;	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated;
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated;	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf New Hanover Co. Comment: open woodlands, pine dominated;
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Carteret Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Carteret Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Carteret Co. Comment: female	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Carteret Co. Comment: female
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: open grassy area within mixed hardwood forest habitat	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: open grassy area within mixed hardwood forest habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: mixed hardwood, open forest near lake edge	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: grassy habitat
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Wake Co. Comment: grassy habitat