Hoppers of North Carolina

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

Family (Alpha):

ACHILIDAE Members:	NC Records
Catonia picta - No Common Name

Taxonomy

Family: ACHILIDAE
Taxonomic Author: (Van Duzee, 1908)

Identification

Online Photographs: BugGuide, GBIF iNaturalist
Description: A very colorful and distinctive hopper with reddish-brown to orange wings with a prominent grayish-white transverse band; the thorax and head are a vibrant reddish color. The underside of the body is orange-brown, as are the legs. The face is tricolored and distinctive, with the top black, followed by a white band, then black and orange-brown and finally another white band; the clypeus is a pale orange color. Adults are 4.4-5.8 mm long. (O'Brien, 1971)

Distribution in North Carolina

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

Distribution: Eastern United States: Atlantic and Gulf Coast states (UDEL)

Abundance: An uncommon species that can be locally abundant in some areas; recorded 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 near mixed hardwood forest.

Plant Associates: Pinus sp. (UDEL); also reported from oak-hickory.

Behavior: Can be attracted at night with a light.

Comment: This species is most similar to Catonia pini and could be easily confused. Both species have similarly colored wings, but in picta there is a broad central transverse grayish-white band; in pini, this band is instead pale brown. Additionally, there is a lot more variation in the coloration of the wing in pini than picta, with the latter primarily being reddish-brown and grayish-white while the former is a mixture of various browns, black and grayish-white. Additionally, the facial pattern in the two species is quite different: in picta, the frons is black and rufous-brown with a white band, whereas in pini the face is brown with a white band.

Status: Native

Global and State Rank:

Species Photo Gallery for Catonia picta No Common Name
	Photo by: Morganne Bowers Onslow Co. Comment:	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:
	Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment:	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 Warren Co. Comment: mixed hardwood, open forest near lake edge	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: mixed hardwood, open forest near lake edge
	Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Rockingham Co. Comment: grassy area near mixed hardwood forest and a pond	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Caught Sweeping	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: On Sheet in early morning. Second individual on sheet 2200 on 2013/08/09
	Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: On Sheet in early morning. Second individual on sheet 2200 on 2013/08/09

Catonia picta - No Common Name

Species Photo Gallery for Catonia picta No Common Name