#treehoppers
LightNews LightNews
respublications.bsky.social
New #OpenAccess work in #RESSystematicEnt

Phylogenomic insights into helmet #evolution in neotropical #treehoppers (Hemiptera: #Membracidae): Conserved morphological complexity across five subfamilies
doi.org/10.1111/syen.70014

#Phylogenomics
@gkergoat.bsky.social @wileyeco.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 9:05 AM
grrlscientist.bsky.social
Why Do Treehoppers Have Such Bizarro Body Shapes?

#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social

#treehoppers #insects #BodyShape #morphology #ElectricalFields #Electroreception grrlscientist.medium.com/why-do-treeh...
October 27, 2025 at 12:37 PM
witchdoctor.bsky.social
#13DaysOfHalloween Day 6 is the Brazilian treehopper, one of >3K types of treehoppers, with fancy helmets on both male and female bugs (and funny enough, not much treehopping). The black “beads” will pop off if picked up by a predator, adding a layer of defense www.sciencefocus.com/nature/what-... 🧪
Bocydium globulare, a treehopper with an unusual, helicopter-like helmet. Andreas Kay via Flickr under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
October 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
Somehow today is the last Saturday in October

Since we're well into fall now, I know it's unlikely that I'll see many more garden visitors this year

And so, here's a visual ode to some of the lovely critters I've seen this month

Until next spring, friends 👋

#flowers
#nativeplants
#SixonSaturday
Six images of various wildlife I've seen the past month. From top left: a green frog with black spots lays in a shallow pool of water surrounded by rocks and aquatic plant life; a bumblebee forages on a spiky purple aster; a shiny ladybug hangs off the end of a crispy leaf; a fuzzy white caterpillar with black markings crawls from one green leaf to another; an olive green treehoppers rests on my thumb after I saved it from being squished on a slide; and a large, shiny hover fly completely obscures the yellow disk florets of a purple aster
October 25, 2025 at 8:50 PM
jencross.bsky.social
Ants are in the same order as wasps and can be fierce with a nasty sting. So it could be to dissuade predators. Could also be that the spider’s prey considers ants friendly (like treehoppers).
October 17, 2025 at 1:32 AM
judithsmit.bsky.social
Membracis dorsata treehoppers (adults and nymphs) in Panama! One of my favorites at the moment. 😍

#insects #treehoppers #membracids
October 4, 2025 at 10:22 AM
chasingbugs.com
Oak treehoppers are out! Known for their endearing maternal care, mamas remain with their babies until they emerge as adults and eventually leave the oak branch where they were born.
Oak treehopper nymphs lined up on an oak branch. A mother oak treehopper (right) stands face-to-face with her nymph on a branch. A mother oak treehopper (left) stands next to her newly emerged adult children and a nymph on a branch. Two newly emerged oak treehopper adults stand face-to-face on a branch.
September 21, 2025 at 2:59 AM
jencross.bsky.social
These are earlier photos showing the eggs and the nymphs as they've been growing.
Oak Treehoppers (Platycotis vittata) PA
Mama Oak Treehopper watching over her eggs. She is olive green with yellow polka dots and clear wings. The eggs rest in a slit in the tree branch and look like a string of pearls. Oak treehopper mama with her newly hatching babies. The are just a clump of small dark colored insects clinging to the underside of a branch. She is olive green with yellow polka dots and clear wings and is off to the left watching over the babies. Oak treehopper mama with growing babies. The are black and white striped with red markings on their back and clinging to the underside of a branch. She is olive green with yellow polka dots and clear wings. She is off to the left and watching over the babies.
September 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM
jencross.bsky.social
Here are few close-ups. In the photo on the left you can see a smaller nymph on the top of the branch that probably hatched later than the others.
Oak Treehoppers (Platycotis vittata) PA
A bunch of small insects on a thin branch. They are black and white striped with red patches on their back. There is one smaller nymph on the top of the branch that is mostly black with red markings. Mama is off to the left and she is green with yellow polka dots and clear wings. There are green leaves in the background. A bunch of small insects on a thin branch. They are black and white striped with red patches on their back. Mama is off to the right and she is green with yellow polka dots and clear wings. There are green leaves in the background.
September 20, 2025 at 11:49 PM
alexwild.bsky.social
Silky field ants tending black locust treehoppers for honeydew. Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Image showing a tree stem cutting diagonally across an unfocused green sunlit backdrop, with two leggy gray ants, one above and one below, antennating lumpish brown bugs on the stem.
September 13, 2025 at 12:21 PM
edyong209.bsky.social
Here's a piece on treehoppers, insects that wait what even is that... the hell? http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/the-surreal-treehoppers/ #readthisinstead
The surreal treehoppers
Last week’s Nature highlighted the sculptures of Alfred K...
whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com
December 1, 2024 at 6:23 AM
ragbonehair.bsky.social
All treehoppers look like fantastic little aliens, I love them
September 25, 2024 at 9:44 PM
bealeiderman.bsky.social
It is #treehoppertuesday! It’s always a good day to share pix of treehoppers, but this is a special one. It has a triangular cross section at the top of the pronotum. Sadly, I only got one pic before it jumped away. #bugsky #insect #membracid 🌿
A brown insect, almost triangular in shape, like a thorn. The top seems to be shaved off and the cross section is triangular. The legs are lighter than the body. The eye looks almost white. The texture is like that of a dried leaf, with visible veins. The insect is about 6mm long and it is standing on a leaf with a hole in t It
January 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM
apsciencebylyn.bsky.social
Treehoppers are such perfect creatures. 💚
🌿 🦗 #InverteFest
Mottled green and orange treehopper with a magnificent horn over her eyes tipped in red; paused on the stem of a plant, being an adorable large thorn
December 29, 2023 at 3:23 AM
mercurylanes.bsky.social
omg. Hot Topic treehoppers
August 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
bealeiderman.bsky.social
Every Monday! Weevils on Wednesday, treehoppers on Tuesday, slime molds on Sunday.
March 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
jencross.bsky.social
Thanks! That photo was from a few years ago. I also found a bunch last year tending to a flock of treehoppers.
Several ants on the stem of a plant watching over treehoppers. The treehoppers secrete a sugary waste that the ants drink. In return, the ants guard the treehoppers.
May 10, 2023 at 6:17 PM
jencmars.bsky.social
Treehoppers = haute couture bug design.
August 1, 2023 at 11:21 PM
apsciencebylyn.bsky.social
My day was vastly improved by the appearance of this small black nugget of a treehopper: Carynota maculata, if I'm not mistaken. A creature with but one other sighting on iNaturalist (courtesy of yours truly 2 years ago). Treehoppers always spark joy. 🖤🌿
9/30/23
Shiny black treehopper, low profile, relatively modest in adornment. Chilling on my finger. Face view of the creature, on my finger Top view of the creature as I found them, on the tip of an old pine needle
October 1, 2023 at 12:13 AM
claudiaxavier.bsky.social
The curious morphology of the treehoppers can help them detect different electrical charges and even distinguish friend from foe. Excellent work!

This is one of the coolest things I've ever read!
samjakeengland.bsky.social Sam England @samjakeengland.bsky.social · Jul 24
Why do treehoppers look so weird?! Our latest paper, out this week in @pnas.org, suggests a perhaps unexpected reason - static electricity ⚡ We show that treehoppers can detect the electrostatic cues of predators and that their crazy shapes may boost their electrosensitivity! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Electroreception in treehoppers: How extreme morphologies can increase electrical sensitivity | PNAS
The link between form and function of an organism’s morphology is usually apparent or intuitive. However, some clades of organisms show remarkable ...
doi.org
July 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
jencross.bsky.social
Treehoppers too!
youtu.be/zMpJ_ZWzUIA?...
For more than 30 years, a Mizzou biologist has studied insects called treehoppers
YouTube video by Mizzou
youtu.be
February 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
dreamjar.bsky.social
Treehoppers are the most fascinating bugs. Full stop.
jencross.bsky.social Jen Cross @jencross.bsky.social · Jun 24
Two-marked Treehopper adult and baby. These insects communicate by vibrating plants! "Male and female signals are tonal, but females respond with grunt-like sounds at a lower frequency than the males." I found a community of these fabulous bugs!

Two-marked Treehopper (Complex Enchenopa binotata)
A black bug with a curved horn and two tan marks on its back. It is standing on a leaf. A black and white bug on the stem of a plant. It has spikes down its back.
June 25, 2023 at 1:47 PM
myxl-mayx.bsky.social
Schedule Update!

OBS is crashing on startup, so no stream schedule until I can figure out the issue...

Send cute pics of Buffalo Treehoppers (I just think they're neat)

#MyxlLive
February 3, 2025 at 2:19 PM
vespercvo.bsky.social
treehoppers that make me happy pt. 1 (not my images)
January 22, 2025 at 4:21 AM
tomkimmerer.bsky.social
Treehoppers, including this one, are beautiful. Thank you.
May 6, 2025 at 2:21 PM