Draeculacephala noveboracensis

Appearance

This species is green to yellow-green with blue wing venation and a blunter head than most members of the genus. This species is very similar to D. angulifera and D. crassicornis, but has subtle features that usually allow differentiation with clear photos. There is a dark spot in front of each antennal segment on the head and two very close dark spots on the vertex. These markings are much bolder on noveboracensis than they are on similar species (while males of angulifera can present bold markings, there is a distinctive crossbow-shaped mark on the crown not present in other species). Importantly, there is a dark spot on the face directly below the vertex (preocular macula), which is distinctive.

General colour green. Crown green with dark spot on either side of apex and spots on anterior margin next to eye; pronotum and scutellum light green; elytra sometimes dark green, weakly reticulated apically, veins light green.

Genitalia:
Pygofer in lateral aspect about 214 times as long as wide, dorsal margin distinctly concave, caudal margin broadly convex; aedeagus in lateral aspect somewhat recurved, broad medially with pair of broad lateral processes, shaft constricted subapically in ventral aspect; paraphyses symmetrical with two pairs of processes, terminal pair curved and nearly twice as long as basal pair; style in dorsal aspect with apical half sharply attenuated; female seventh sternum in ventral aspect with distinct spatulate process on middle of caudalmargin.

Species Diagnosis
This species is related to crassicornis in general habitus and can be distinguished by the aedeagus with shaft constricted subapically and slightly expanded laterally at apex in ventral aspect.

Naming

Draeculacephala noveboracensis (Fitch, 1851)
Draeculacephala prasina (Walker, 1851)

noveboracensis = "of New York"

Distribution

Northeastern U.S. and Canada, travelling south through the Appalachians. can be found farther west in Canada.

Canada: British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
US: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, California, Washington, and Oregon. Apparently it does not occur in the Southern or Southwestern United States.

Food

Grasses

Cultural

A minor vector of Pierce’s disease virus of grape in California.