Moving Iris
Sporting a Viking helmet....
Moringa horned treehopper "Leptocentrus moringae," on a leaf.
They most often occur on trees, sometimes on grasses or shrubs, but most often on trees. They can suck on plant juices for maybe a month. They don’t necessarily move once they have found a good spot. They feed day and night. Some move more frequently because they feed on faster growing plants.
What distinguishes them visually is that their pronotum—the protective plate at the front of insect’s thorax—is expanded up and over the body. In some species, the pronotum resembles a thorn [they are often called "thorn bugs"], but in others, it takes other bizarre shapes. In most other insects, such as leafhoppers, cicadas, beetles, and bees, the pronotum is just a simple band from one side to the other.
Treehoppers communicate using vibrations. They sort of shake their body and each species has a different vibration pattern that goes through the branch and transmits as far as a meter. This is how they communicate with other members of the same species or even ants.
Sporting a Viking helmet....
Moringa horned treehopper "Leptocentrus moringae," on a leaf.
They most often occur on trees, sometimes on grasses or shrubs, but most often on trees. They can suck on plant juices for maybe a month. They don’t necessarily move once they have found a good spot. They feed day and night. Some move more frequently because they feed on faster growing plants.
What distinguishes them visually is that their pronotum—the protective plate at the front of insect’s thorax—is expanded up and over the body. In some species, the pronotum resembles a thorn [they are often called "thorn bugs"], but in others, it takes other bizarre shapes. In most other insects, such as leafhoppers, cicadas, beetles, and bees, the pronotum is just a simple band from one side to the other.
Treehoppers communicate using vibrations. They sort of shake their body and each species has a different vibration pattern that goes through the branch and transmits as far as a meter. This is how they communicate with other members of the same species or even ants.