Discovering Otiocerus francilloni: A Rare Planthopper

**Otiocerus francilloni** seen on August 18, 2018.

This pale insect is Otiocerus francilloni, a planthopper in the family Derbidae, also known as “derbids”. I have only seen it once, and that was in 2018, when it landed on the corner of my house one night.

Taxonomy

Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Auchenorrhyncha (True Hoppers)
Infraorder Fulgoromorpha (Planthoppers)
Superfamily Fulgoroidea
Family Derbidae (Derbid Planthoppers)
Subfamily Otiocerinae
Tribe Otiocerini
Genus Otiocerus
Species francilloni (Otiocerus francilloni)

Source: BugGuide

Unusual food choices

The immature stages of Otiocerus francilloni, and those of all derbid planthoppers, feed on fungal hyphae growing in rotting wood rather than plant sap. Adult food sources of North American Otiocerus species are not known, but they have been found in association with oak, beech, and maple. The significance of these tree associations, if any, is uncertain.

Description

The wings of Otiocerus francilloni are pale with many dark spots between the veins. There is a dark, narrow, broken band on the wings and a black smudge mark on the sides of the head. The body is pale with spots on the abdomen.

A huge northern range extension

Otiocerus francilloni is reported from the following states: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. Finding it in Minnesota extends the known range by about 400 miles from the next nearest location in Illinois.

It seems unlikely that this species does not occur between Illinois and where I live in northern Minnesota. I hope someone is out there looking.

The Buffalo Treehopper: Characteristics and Habitat of Stictocephala taurina

*Stictocephala taurina*, the buffalo treehopper, on August 28, 2021, that was attracted to my moth lights.

Stictocephala taurina (buffalo treehopper, family Membracidae, in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs) is a green colored species of treehopper notable for its prominent, sharp horns. The horns on treehoppers have functions that include mimicking the thorns of plants and electroreception. According to the article in PNAS, treehoppers and their predators produce electrical fields, and the extreme morphologies of treehoppers aid in the detection of these fields.

Description

Stictocephala taurina is a green species of treehopper, one of 17 species of Stictocephala in North America north of Mexico. It measures about 7.5 mm long. The pronotum is adorned with two prominent horns on the front, numerous pale spots, and ends in a long spine. The horns are not very large and may have a dark edge. The legs are green (reddish in the similar-looking Tortistilus abnorma) and end with yellow tarsi (feet).

Habitat and host plants

Stictocephala taurina lives in forests and forested areas. The nymphs feed on softer herbaceous vegetation, piercing the plants to get sap. Adults move to woody vegetation.

Taxonomy

Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha (True Hoppers)
Infraorder: Cicadomorpha (Cicadas, Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, and Treehoppers)
Superfamily: Membracoidea (Leafhoppers and Treehoppers)
Family: Membracidae (Typical Treehoppers)
Subfamily Smiliinae
Tribe Ceresini (Buffalo Treehoppers and allies)
Genus Stictocephala
Species taurina (Stictocephala taurina)

Insects That Mimic Stinging Wasps: A Look at Synanthedon acerni

In a previous post, I wrote about syrphid flies that mimic bees and wasps. But are there other insects with this mimicry superpower? The answer is yes. Other types of flies, beetles, and moths all have species that mimic stinging insects. The moth Superfamily Cossoidea (Carpenter and Clearwing Moths) is notable for the many species that mimic stinging wasps.

Synanthedon acerni (Family Sesiidae, Subfamily Sesiinae, Tribe Synanthedonini) is one such very wasp-like moth. Its wasp-like appearance allows it to be active during the day while it visits flowers, feeding on nectar.

Life history

The larvae of Synanthedon acerni are not quite as benign. Known as the maple callus borer moth, its larvae bore into the trunks of maple (Acer spp.) trees. Eggs are laid near wounds in the bark. Entry into the tree is through these wounds on the tree’s trunk. The larvae bore into the bark and then into the cambium, where they feed on the inner bark and sapwood. Feeding takes place during the summer within galleries. In the winter, they hibernate in the galleries and resume feeding in the spring.

At maturity, the larva constructs an oblong cocoon of wood fragments, frass, and silk within the gallery, close to the surface, covered by a thin escape window. When ready to emerge, the pupa cuts open the cocoon and the escape window. The fully formed Synanthedon acerni moth then exits the pupa, which is left partially stuck in the gallery.

The same tree may be used year after year, weakening it and eventually leading to its demise. A callus will form on the trunk after repeated infestations.

Halysidota tessellaris (Banded Tussock Moth): Identification and Life Cycle

In an earlier post, I wrote about Lophocampa maculata, a moth in the Arctiinae, distinguished by its fuzzy black and yellow larvae. These larvae later metamorphose into beautiful adult moths with a contrasting pattern of alternating bands of warm, muted golden-orange and darker brown markings with a reddish-orange tinge. In this post, I write about Halysidota tessellaris, the banded tussock moth, another moth in the Arctiinae.

*Halysidota tessellaris* caterpillar feeding on a crabapple leaf in late summer.

Identification

Like Lophocampa maculata, the larvae of Halysidota tessellaris are also fuzzy, but they are usually gray to dingy brown with long white and long black tassels. The adult moth, while similar in size to Lophocampa maculata, has translucent yellow forewings marked with slightly darker bands and irregularly shaped block-like cells that form a tessellated pattern. Also, there are two parallel blue stripes on the fuzzy thorax.

Life cycle

Across its range, larvae of Halysidota tessellaris feed on many species of hardwood tree leaves. Among these are box elder (Acer negundo), sweet birch (Betula lenta), ash (Fraxinus spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), and many others. Adult moths take nectar and are pollinators of milkweeds (Frost, S. W. (1965) Insects and Pollinia. Ecology, 46. 556-558, paywall).

*Halysidota tessellaris*, a worn specimen, but the blue lines are prominent.

Similar species

Adults of the related Halysidota harrisii (sycamore tussock moth) are similar in appearance to Halysidota tessellaris. Where the ranges of Halysidota tessellaris and Halysidota harrisii overlap, genital dissection is necessary to determine the species. Halysidota harrisii larvae, which may be solid white, yellow, orange, or gray, feed exclusively on sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) leaves. The ranges of sycamore and the moth coincide closely.