''Scaralina marmorata'' is a species of

planthopper A planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, a group exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide. The name comes from their remarkable resemblance to leaves and other plants of their environment ...

in the family

Fulgoridae The family Fulgoridae is a large group of hemipteran insects, especially abundant and diverse in the tropics, containing over 125 genera worldwide. They are mostly of moderate to large size, many with a superficial resemblance to Lepidoptera due t ...

, found throughout the southeastern United States. It is one of four species (the others being '' Scaralina aethrinsula'', '' Scaralina cristata'', and '' Scaralina metcalfi'') that were, for several decades, erroneously grouped together under a single name, ''Alphina glauca''; this name is now treated as a synonym of ''S. marmorata''.

Taxonomy

Historically, this species has been incorrectly associated with three other genera; the genus '' Calyptoproctus'' (which molecular DNA evidence suggests is not in the tribe Poiocerini),Urban, J.M. & Cryan, J.R. (2009) Entomologically famous, evolutionarily unexplored: The first phylogeny of the lanternfly family Fulgoridae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 50(3): 471–484. the genus '' Crepusia'', a slightly more closely related genus from South America, and '' Alphina'', a closely related genus also from South America.

Biology

''Scaralina marmorata'' is associated with oaks ( ''Quercus'' spp.). It is the only species in the genus routinely found at elevations below 1000 meters.

Distribution

''Scaralina marmorata'' is found from central

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

up to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and across to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and all areas south and east of this, wherever oaks are found.

References

Insects described in 1839 Insects of North America Poiocerinae {{Fulgoridae-stub