Hoppers of North Carolina:
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CICADELLIDAE Members: NC Records

Forcipata loca - No Common Name



© John Rosenfeld- note pointed head

© John Rosenfeld- note yellowish color and shape

© John Rosenfeld- male, note black tips

© John Rosenfeld- female, note pregenital
sternite
Taxonomy
Family: CICADELLIDAESubfamily: TyphlocybinaeTribe: Dikraneurini
Taxonomic Author: (DeLong & Caldwell, 1936)
Identification
Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF  iNaturalist                                                                                  
Description: Yellowish overall, with a yellow to yellow-orange head, thorax, and the basal two thirds of the wings; the tips are hyaline. Wing venation is yellow. The head noticeably projects forward. Males has forcep-like subgenital plates with tooth-like and darkened/black-tipped apices, sometimes visible through the semi-transparent wings; the subgenital plates are also not notably much larger than the valve. The female pregenital sternite has a central produced lobe that is moderately narrow, with notches on either side of this lobe. Adults are around 4 mm long. (DeLong & Caldwell, 1936), (BG)

For diagrams of this species, see: 3I.

Distribution in North Carolina
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Out of State Record(s)
Distribution: Eastern and central North America
Abundance: Scattered records across the state, from the mountains and Piedmont where it can be locally common; likely abundant throughout the state but under-documented.
Seasonal Occurrence
Jan
Feb
Mar
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Jun
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Sep
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Dec
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Has been found near mixed hardwood forest.
Plant Associates: Sedges and grasses: Carex vesicaria (3I)
Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.
Comment: Forcipata refers to the male genitalia, which ends in forceps-like claspers. (BG)

F. loca is the most common and widespread member of this genus in North America. However, there are two other members of this genus that have apparently been recorded from North Carolina: F. acclina, from somewhere in the mountains near the TN border, and F. ohioensis (Hamilton, 1998). Forcipata can be a challenging genus to identify, as the species all more or less resemble one another externally, differing in male and female genitalia (more so in male). It is therefore pertinent to collect a male specimen to determine species identification of Forcipata in the state.

Below are the descriptions from DeLong & Caldwell, 1936 for the other two species, which can be compared with the desciption for F. loca above. Hamilton, 1998 has a more detailed key to differences in the subgenital plates. The subgenital plates for the following two species lack lobes or teeth before the tips, and the tips of the plates are not darkened; in loca, the plate apices are darkened and the plates are not notably larger than the valve. There are also slight but distinct differences in the female pregenital sternites among these three species.

acclina - Adults 3.2 mm long. Yellowish, the apex of the vertex is tinted with orange; the pronotum and scutellum are yellowish. The wing venation is yellow. The vertex is strongly produced. The female pregenital sternite is short and broad, with a broadly rounded central lobe; the lateral lobes are barely produced post the notches. The male subgenital plates are abruptly bent midway and curve inward, with the plates two times as long as the valve. The female pregenital sternite has a broad, rounded median lobe.

ohioensis - Adults are around 3 mm long. A narrow species, the vertex, pronotum, and scutellum are yellowish. The wings are a dull greenish color, with yellow veins. The female pregenital sternite has a central produced lobe that is narrow, rounded at the apex. Lateral lobes are two-thirds the length of the central lobe. The male subgenital plates are broad at the base, strongly curving inwards at the apices which are blunt; they are 1.5 times as long as the valve. The female pregenital sternite has a narrow, long median lobe with very concave lateral margins/incisions on either side of the lobe.

Status: Native
Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Forcipata loca No Common Name

Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 3.6 mm
Photo by: Ken Kneidel
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 3.6 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: females; 3.5 mm (#1), 3.6 mm (#2)
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: females; 3.5 mm (#1), 3.6 mm (#2)
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: females; 3.5 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: females; 3.5 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: male; 3.5 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: male; 3.5 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Transylvania Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Transylvania Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Transylvania Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn
Transylvania Co.
Comment: male; 3.2 mm
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: male
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: John Rosenfeld
Out Of State Co.
Comment: female
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: near mixed hardwood forest habitat; ID confirmed by C. Dietrich via specimen
Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger
Wake Co.
Comment: near mixed hardwood forest habitat; ID confirmed by C. Dietrich via specimen