The buffalo treehopper (''Stictocephala bisonia'') is a species of treehopper belonging to the subfamily

Membracinae Membracinae is a subfamily of treehoppers in the family Membracidae. There are more than 40 genera in Membracinae. Genera These 44 genera belong to the subfamily Membracinae: * ''Acanthicoides'' Metcalf, 1952 * ''Aconophora'' Fairmaire, 1846 ...

. It is sometimes

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

as ''Ceresa bisonia''.

Distribution

This species is native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, but now it is widespread throughout southern Europe and it is also present in the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

and in North Africa.

Appearance

Buffalo treehoppers are a bright green color and have a somewhat triangular shape that helps camouflage them so as to resemble

thorn Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * ''Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...

s or a twiggy protuberance.John A. Jackman,Bastiaan M. Drees - A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects - Taylor Trade Publishing It gets its name from the vague resemblance of its profile to that of an American bison. They grow to 6 to 8 millimeters (0.24 to 0.31 in) long and have transparent wings.

Life cycle

''S. bisonia'' mates during the summer months. Males attract females with a song that, unlike similar songs used by cicada and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

s, is perceived by the female not as sound waves but as vibrations through the host plant. Females lay

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s from July to October using a blade-like

ovipositor The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...

. Up to a dozen eggs are laid in each slit made by the female. Nymphs emerge from the eggs the following May or June. The nymphs, which resemble wingless adults, but have a more spiny appearance, descend from the trees where they hatched to feed on grasses, weeds, and other non woody plants. They molt several times in the following month and a half until they have reached adulthood. Then they return to the trees to continue their life cycle.

Feeding

Both adult and immature buffalo treehoppers feed upon sap using specialized mouthparts suited for this purpose. Black locust, clover, elm, goldenrod, and willow are among their favorite food sources. It is also an occasional

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

of fruit trees and is harmful to young orchard trees, especially apple trees. It has become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

in some parts of Europe.

Bibliography

* Alberto Alma et al., Particularities of Polynema striaticorne as egg parasite of Stictocephala bisonia (Rhynchota: Auchenorrhyncha), 6th Auchenorrhyncha Meeting Turin, 1988, pp. 597–603. * Arzone, C. Vidano, A. Alma Auchenorrhyncha introduced into Europe from the Nearctic region: taxonomic and phytopathological problems. Proceedings of 2nd International Workshop on Leafhoppers and Planthoppers of Economic Importance : Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA, 28 July-1 August 1986: 3-17 * D. D. Kopp, Yonke, T. R., Taxonomic Status of the Buffalo Treehopper and the Name Ceresa bubalus, in Annals of the Entomological Society of America, vol. 70, no. 6, 1977, pp. 901–905 * Gabriel Simões de Andrade (1997): Stictocephala alta (Walker, 1851) sp. rev., comb. n., the Correct Name for the "Buffalo Treehopper", with S. bisonia Kopp & Yonke, 1977 as a New Synonym, and Notes on Hadrophallus bubalus (Fabricius, 1794) comb. n. (Homoptera: Membracidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society Vol. 123, No. 4: 289-295. * Gabriel Simões de Andrade (2008): On the synonymy of Stictocephala alta (Walker) and Thelia constans Walker (Hemiptera: Membracidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 25 (1): 148–149 * P. Bovey & H. Leuzinger (1938): Présence en Suisse de Ceresa bubalus F., Membracidae nuisible d’origine américaine. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des sciences naturelles 60: 193–200 * W. V. Balduf: Observations on the buffalo tree-hopper Ceresa bubalus Fabr. (Membracidae, Homoptera) and the bionomics of an egg parasite, Polynema striaticorne Girault (Mymaridae, Hymenoptera). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 1928, 21(3):419-435.

References

External links

*
Vertdeterre

Catalogue of life
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q486537 Smiliinae Insects described in 1977 Hemiptera of North America Hemiptera of Europe