The Buffalo Treehopper: Characteristics and Habitat of Stictocephala taurina

*Stictocephala taurina*, the buffalo treehopper, on August 28, 2021, that was attracted to my moth lights.

Stictocephala taurina (buffalo treehopper, family Membracidae, in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs) is a green colored species of treehopper notable for its prominent, sharp horns. The horns on treehoppers have functions that include mimicking the thorns of plants and electroreception. According to the article in PNAS, treehoppers and their predators produce electrical fields, and the extreme morphologies of treehoppers aid in the detection of these fields.

Description

Stictocephala taurina is a green species of treehopper, one of 17 species of Stictocephala in North America north of Mexico. It measures about 7.5 mm long. The pronotum is adorned with two prominent horns on the front, numerous pale spots, and ends in a long spine. The horns are not very large and may have a dark edge. The legs are green (reddish in the similar-looking Tortistilus abnorma) and end with yellow tarsi (feet).

Habitat and host plants

Stictocephala taurina lives in forests and forested areas. The nymphs feed on softer herbaceous vegetation, piercing the plants to get sap. Adults move to woody vegetation.

Taxonomy

Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha (True Hoppers)
Infraorder: Cicadomorpha (Cicadas, Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, and Treehoppers)
Superfamily: Membracoidea (Leafhoppers and Treehoppers)
Family: Membracidae (Typical Treehoppers)
Subfamily Smiliinae
Tribe Ceresini (Buffalo Treehoppers and allies)
Genus Stictocephala
Species taurina (Stictocephala taurina)

Insects That Mimic Stinging Wasps: A Look at Synanthedon acerni

In a previous post, I wrote about syrphid flies that mimic bees and wasps. But are there other insects with this mimicry superpower? The answer is yes. Other types of flies, beetles, and moths all have species that mimic stinging insects. The moth Superfamily Cossoidea (Carpenter and Clearwing Moths) is notable for the many species that mimic stinging wasps.

Synanthedon acerni (Family Sesiidae, Subfamily Sesiinae, Tribe Synanthedonini) is one such very wasp-like moth. Its wasp-like appearance allows it to be active during the day while it visits flowers, feeding on nectar.

Life history

The larvae of Synanthedon acerni are not quite as benign. Known as the maple callus borer moth, its larvae bore into the trunks of maple (Acer spp.) trees. Eggs are laid near wounds in the bark. Entry into the tree is through these wounds on the tree’s trunk. The larvae bore into the bark and then into the cambium, where they feed on the inner bark and sapwood. Feeding takes place during the summer within galleries. In the winter, they hibernate in the galleries and resume feeding in the spring.

At maturity, the larva constructs an oblong cocoon of wood fragments, frass, and silk within the gallery, close to the surface, covered by a thin escape window. When ready to emerge, the pupa cuts open the cocoon and the escape window. The fully formed Synanthedon acerni moth then exits the pupa, which is left partially stuck in the gallery.

The same tree may be used year after year, weakening it and eventually leading to its demise. A callus will form on the trunk after repeated infestations.

Two Spectacular Tiger Moths: Arctia caja and Arctia parthenos

Arctia caja, great tiger moth, and Arctia parthenos, St. Lawrence tiger moth, are moths in the Family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae, which includes these previously discussed moths: Lophocampa maculata, Halysidota tessellaris, Pyrrharctia isabella, Apantesis williamsii, Apantesis virgo, Apantesis phalerata, and Haploa contigua.

Arctia caja and Arctia parthenos are strikingly beautiful moths, as showy as any butterfly, which are just day-flying moths anyway.

Description

Arctia caja is a large moth with a wingspan of 27-32 mm. The forewings are brightly colored in white and brown, forming a mosaic pattern. The underwings are orange-red and marked with large, round to slightly irregular black discal, basal, and submarginal spots containing metallic blue scales. The abdomen is orange-red but darker than the underwings. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Arctia parthenos is also a large moth with a wingspan of 28-33 mm. Its forewings are chocolate brown, marked with numerous pale yellow or cream-colored spots. The underwing is orange with irregular black markings. The abdomen is dark brown to black with orange sides and tip. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Habitat

Arctia caja occurs in northern hardwood forests, conifer forests, wet meadows along creeks and rivers, in disturbed agricultural areas, gardens, and in urban areas. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Arctia parthenos also occurs in northern hardwood forests, conifer forests, boreal mixed woods and parklands, moist shrubby arctic tundra, and mountains in the south. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Host Plants

Arctia caja is polyphagous and feeds on many kinds of herbaceous plants as well as some hardwoods. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Arctia parthenos is also polyphagous but has a preference for hardwoods such as willow, aspen, and alder. (Sources: Moths of North Carolina, Pacific Northwest Moths, BugGuide)

Range

A neighborly moth

Genus overview

Haploa is a genus of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea, family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae (Tiger and Lichen Moths). The genus comprises six species in North America north of Mexico and is not known from anywhere else. Four species are known from Minnesota: Haploa contigua, Haploa lecontei, Haploa reversa, and Haploa confusa.

So that’s the easy part. When I look over my photos of Haploa species, I am struck by the way Haploa lecontei, Haploa reversa, and Haploa confusa seem to grade into one another. Why? Maybe because I am misidentifying them. Or maybe because these are just photos of one species and its range of variation. Which species? I’m not sure anymore, but it might be Haploa confusa. The one I am sure of is Haploa contigua.

Haploa contigua

Haploa contigua is one of four species of Haploa with all white hindwings. The base color of the forewings is cream-colored to white. The costa and inner margins are bordered in dark brown. A diagonal dark brown line extends from the costa beyond the midpoint to the inner margin above the anal angle. Joining this is another line running from the outer margin. Haploa contigua lacks any lines or spurs in the antemedial portion of the forewing. All-white individuals are indistinguishable from other Haploa species with all-white forms.

Haploa contigua inhabits mesic woodlands to riparian woodlands. The larvae feed on the leaves of many species of woody and herbaceous plants.

The genus name “Haploa” is from the Greek word for “simplicity, singleness”, and the species epithet “contigua” is from the Latin word for “bordering” and so the neighbor moth.