Why Do Treehoppers Have Such Bizarro Body Shapes?

Treehoppers detect electrical fields emitted by their predators and may also distinguish between electrical fields emitted by their predators and friendly insects.

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Alchisme grossa (Hemiptera: Membracidae) is a species of treehopper found in neotropical Central and South America. These insects are known for their subsocial behavior, with females exhibiting maternal care for their young. (Copyright: Sam J. England, with permission)

Treehoppers are small, gentle insects that are famous for their astonishing morphological diversity — there’s about 3,200 species of treehoppers in over 400 genera and they vary tremendously in shape and include bizarre features such as horns, spines, balls and tridents (Figure 1).

But what is the function of their extraordinary body shapes? Could it be for camouflage, mimicry, or perhaps for physical defense? These are interesting ideas, but such explanations don’t make sense for the entire family of treehoppers.

F I G U R E 1 : Macrophotographs of wild treehoppers exemplifying a small portion of the morphological diversity seen in the Membracidae, photographed at various locations around Costa Rica (A-J and L) and the United Kingdom (K). (A) Polyglypta costata. (B) Poppea capricornis. © Antianthe expansa. (D) Cladonota apicalis. (E) Bocydium mae. (F) Enchophyllum sp. (G) Heteronotus trinodosus. (H) Alchisme grossa. (I) Notocera sp. (J) Ennya chrysura. (K) Centrotus cornutus. (L) Membracis mexicana. (doi:10.1073/pnas.2505253122)

Based on the recent discovery that bumblebees and their flowers communicate using static electricity (ref), the authors of that study followed up by asking whether the distinctive body shapes of treehoppers might help them detect static electricity, too.