Invertebrates
Treehopper
Membracidae · also called treehoppers
Perched on a thin plant stem, a treehopper looks for all the world like a stray thorn, its oddly shaped enlarged pronotum doing all the work of keeping a soft, sap-feeding insect safe from a passing predator’s attention.
Overview
The treehopper, family Membracidae, is a small sap-feeding insect found on host plants across forest and grassland habitat worldwide. Its dramatically enlarged, often bizarrely shaped pronotum, used for camouflage, sets it apart as one of the most visually unusual insect families found on any given plant stem.
Disguise built directly into its own body
Rather than relying on colour alone, the treehopper has evolved an entire extra body structure dedicated to looking like something else entirely, turning a single modified plate into a surprisingly effective piece of built-in camouflage.
Status
Not Evaluated — common as a group wherever suitable host plants are available.
Treehopper: common questions
Why does a treehopper look so strange?
A treehopper carries a dramatically enlarged pronotum, the plate behind its head, extended into unusual shapes that can resemble a thorn, a curved horn, a leaf, or even a bird dropping, a form of camouflage that helps disguise the otherwise soft-bodied insect from predators scanning a plant stem.
Do treehoppers take care of their young?
Some treehopper species do show genuine maternal care, with a female remaining near her eggs and newly hatched nymphs to guard them against approaching predators, a behaviour that is relatively unusual among insects generally and stands out within a family better known for its unusual body shapes.
Why do ants visit treehoppers?
Like aphids, many treehoppers excrete sugary honeydew as a byproduct of feeding on plant sap, and ants frequently tend treehopper groups specifically to collect this food source, offering the treehoppers some protection from predators in return, a mutually beneficial relationship similar to ant-aphid tending.
How do treehoppers communicate with each other?
A treehopper can produce vibrations that travel directly through the stem of its host plant, a signalling method used to communicate with other treehoppers on the same plant without relying on airborne sound, a form of communication increasingly recognised as common among plant-feeding insects.