Identification
Brown, wedge-shaped treehopper with no crest, white arc-shaped mark on side, aggregates on Black Locust.
Range
Includes eastern North America.
Habitat
Old fields, edges, with hostplant.
Season
June-September (North Carolina)
Life Cycle
Found (exclusively?) on Black Locust,
Robinia pseudoacacia. Several generations per year. Attended by ants, including
Formica subsericea. Also attended by Black Carpenter Ants,
Camponotus pennsylvanicus--see comments
here. Communicates with low-frequency vibrations.
Remarks
An interesting little critter, to be looked for on Black Locust. I've coined the common name based on the host plant association.
Print References
Arnett, p. 305, lists as common on Black Locust
(1)
Brimley, p. 90
(2), lists "V. arcuata" Raleigh, June, Blowing Rock, Montreat, July, September (specific name misspelled)
Baker, p. 71
(3), lists V. arquata as abdt. on black locust.
Cocroft R.B. The Social Environment of an Aggregating, Ant-Attended Treehopper (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Vanduzea arquata) Journal of Insect Behavior, January 2003, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 79-95(17). (quoted in an Internet reference)
Internet References
The Secret World of Insects--NPR feature, discusses sound production, and has photo!
Contributed by
Cotinis on 1 October, 2004 - 10:57pm
Last updated 4 June, 2008 - 7:52pm
