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Order
Hemiptera
- This page contains pictures and information about Horned Treehoppers in Family Membracidae
that we found in the Brisbane area,
Queensland, Australia.
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 - Horned Treehopper nymph
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- Members in Membracidae family have the enlarged pronotum extending back over the
abdomen between wings, which gives them the bizarre looking body shape. Many
species also have the pronotum extending forward as they are horned. Some mimic thorns on their host plant.
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- They are small in size, under 10mm in body length. Adults and nymphs can be
found in group on stems and new shots of host plants. They feed by sucking
the sap of plants. They expel droplets of honeydew. They are tended actively
by ants. All
of them jump when disturbed, so their name Treehoppers.
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- Nymphs in this family do not jump if disturbed.
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- All native Australian species of Membracidae are the member of the subfamily
Centrotinae. Except the introduced species Lantana Treehoppers which is subfamily
Membracinae.
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Subfamily Membracinae
- We found only one introduced species in this subfamily.
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- Lantana Treehopper, Lantana
sap-sucking bug
  - Aconophora compressa, adult body length 8mm
- The above
pictures show the insects on the stem of a Lantana plants. They are introduced
from American to NSW and Queensland as a biological control agent of the weed
Lantana. More information and pictures please click here.
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Subfamily Centrotinae
- All native Australian species are in this subfamily.
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- Banksia Treehopper
 - Crito festivus, Tribe Terentiini, adult body length 7mm
- Mid summer in Alexandra Hill, the Banksia plants was growing fast with new
shots. On every Banksia plant there were the treehoppers. The
insects mimicked the leaf buds of the plants. The treehoppers were black in colour with bright
orange and yellow. The black pronotum extended back over
the abdomen covered between wings. More
information and pictures please click here.
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- Green Horned Treehopper
  - Alosextius carinatus, Tribe Terentiini, nymph body length
5mm, adult body length
5mm
- The Horned Treehopper has the pronotum extending forward so it look
like having two horns. As other tree hopper, they rest on the young shots of
their host plants, suck sap for their living. More information and pictures
can be found in this page.
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- Brown Horned Treehopper
 - Pogonella minutus, body length 5mm
- The Brown Horned Treehoppers are dark brown to black in colours. They have the pronotum
extended and look
like having two horns. This is the smallest species in family Membracidae. Please
check this page for more
information.
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- Acacia Horned Treehopper
 - Sextius virescens, Tribe Terentiini, body length nymph 4mm, adult 5mm
- Pictures taken in Yugarapul
Park and Karawatha Forest during early summer. A group of Treehoppers were found on a young Acacia tree. Those Treehoppers were constantly attended by
ants. For more pictures and information please visit this page.
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- Tri-horned Treehopper
  - Acanthuchus rufiventris, Tribe Terentiini, body length 7mm
- Pictures were taken on Oct 2006. It jumped away after we took a few
photos. This treehopper is brown in colour with three horns. There is the
extra horn at the middle vertical position. Please also check this page.
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- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 473.
- 2. Family Membracidae
- Fletcher, M.J. and Larivière, M.-C. (2001 and updates).
- 3. That the Anal Whip is Used for Defense
- Dr Beetle's Wild Page.
- 4. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 5. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand (Homoptera: Cicadelloidea and Cercopoidea) - J W Evans, Australian Museum,
1966, p275.
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- [ Up ] [ Cicadellidae ] [ Membracidae ]
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