Prescottia lobata

Appearance

A distinctively marked species, with alternating black and white markings along the inner margins of the wings, with two prominent white spots in the middle; the rest of the wings are largely blackish. The anterior base of each wing is white, giving a collared appearance to the hopper. The head and thorax are a pale yellowish-white color with brownish markings. The female pregenital sternite has a truncated posterior margin with a slight median notch. Adult male subgenital plates are slender and narrow with recurved tips. Adults are 5.0-6.0 mm long. Nymphs are reportedly similar in coloration to adults, dark gray to blackish with a distinctive color pattern.

The only eastern member of this genus, this hopper superficially resembles several dark Scaphoideus species and could be confused with them, but it has a distinctive pattern and different color arrangement, particularly on the wings.

Naming

Prescottia lobata (Van Duzee 1894)

Distribution

Eastern North America, this primarily northern species ranges as far south as the southern Appalachians in North Carolina.

Behavior

Can be attracted at night with a light.

Habitat

Forest edge, open woodland, well vegetated areas.

Food

Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) and other Solidago species.