Telamona ampelopsidis explained

Telamona ampelopsidis, also known as the Virginia creeper treehopper, is one of the 38 species of treehopper in the genus Telamona.

Classification

T. ampelopsidis contains 2 subspecies:[1]

Description

Males are usually 8-9 millimetres while females are 10 millimetres.[2] They have a brown-coloured pattern across the pronotum and they vary slightly; some can be almost black and some can be light brown.[3]

Distribution

T. ampelopsidis is found in eastern United States and eastern Canada. It also can occasionally be found in central and midwestern United States, reaching as far as the Rocky Mountains.

Diet

Telamona ampelopsidis, like all treehoppers, feed on the sap from under leaves. However, T. ampelopsidis exclusively feeds on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). The Virginia creeper used to placed in the genus Ampelopsis at the time that Thaddeus William Harris described the species in 1841, hence the species epithet Ampelopsidis.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TaxonPages: World Auchenorrhyncha Database - Telamona ampelopsidis (Harris, 1841) . 2024-02-14 . hoppers.speciesfile.org.
  2. Web site: Species Telamona ampelopsidis - Virginia Creeper Treehopper . 2024-01-02 . bugguide.net.
  3. Web site: Hoppers of North Carolina . 2024-01-02 . auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov.