Look once, it's weird, look again

There is a type of insect that lives on the earth with us, but looks so strange that it goes beyond our cognition.

Maybe we look weird to insects, too.

It is the tree cicada.

When you think of cicadas, do you think of the old friend who keeps chirping in the trees? The tree cicada, after all, also has the word "cicada" in its name, and it may seem like an old friend, but in fact, they look very different.

Treehoppers, as insects of the family Membracidae in the order Homoptera, have more than 3,000 species discovered in the world and live in all regions except Antarctica.

Why do you say it can satisfy your fantasy of alien creatures? Because their pronotum is deformed and extended, passing over the head to form a spine forward, and covering the abdomen backward, which makes it look very unreal, which is why its appearance is ever-changing.

The tree cicada is not only known as an "alien creature", it also has several other unknown faces.

1

Styling Master

The shell of the tree cicada is mostly brown or black, but there are also yellow or green species, and some species have bright white or red markings. The colorful appearance also adds a lot of charm to its unique shape and appearance.

Source: Wikipedia

Finally, there are the odd horns. As the name suggests, the horns of treehoppers are often very unusual in shape. They develop rapidly from the prothorax and have various deformities and protrusions, often covering the mesothorax or abdomen.

For example, the horns of the new stag-horned cicada (Elaphiceps neocervus) are bent backwards, as delicate and elegant as deer horns; the curved-lance cicada is also as its name suggests, with its horns extending straight backwards like spears ready to be fired; the base of the saw-like cicada (Pantaleon dorsalis) extends like a saw blade, making people wonder if their hands will be cut by it in the next second.

2

Master of Disguise

Sea anemones and sea lilies use their plant-like appearance as cover to catch food; aphid flies feed on nectar and can imitate bees and stop in mid-air while flying; stick insects have evolved colors similar to bamboo in order to avoid being discovered by their enemies. As long as they lie on the bamboo, no one can tell whether they are bamboo or a stick insect; when the inchworm is stationary, it looks like a dry branch... These are all masters of camouflage in nature, and our tree cicada is one of the best.

Their horns of various shapes are not weapons in the conventional sense, but tools used to camouflage themselves, avoid predators, and protect themselves. The four-tuberculate tree cicada has four round protrusions on its head, like the fruits of a plant, which are very beautiful and very deceptive.

The ant-like treehopper is even more thoroughly camouflaged, with its back specialized to look like a black ant. If you take a quick look at it, you might mistake it for one.

Image source of the ant-like tree cicada: Arkinspace

The wasp tree cicada is a well-known star in the world of camouflage. Its famous image - the camouflaged wasp - is still difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.

So why do tree cicadas in the same environment evolve into so many strange shapes? There are many speculations about this, but many answers are just subjective assumptions without real evidence. We can only hope for breakthroughs in the future.

3

Smart symbiont

Treehoppers not only imitate ants, they can even "hire" ants. Treehoppers feed on plant sap, so they have evolved mouthparts that can adapt to the environment. Treehoppers first suck the sap to eat, and use the "leftovers" to find some free bodyguards for themselves.

Treehoppers excrete the remaining juice from their bodies, which is called honeydew. Honeydew is a delicious food that is loved by many insects. Therefore, ants, who love to eat honeydew, have established a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with treehoppers; at the same time, treehoppers have achieved their own goals and received protection from ants.

If someone harms the tree cicada, the ants will not let it go easily. If someone harms the tree cicada, the ants will eat the ants' food. How can the ants remain indifferent? This mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship not only protects the tree cicada, but also provides food for the ants. It makes people feel the wonders between organisms.

If you meet them next time, will you be able to recognize these mysterious "alien creatures"?

END

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo