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Thanks to their bizarre morphologies and fascinating behaviors, the treehoppers belong to the “charismatic microfauna” that gets attention from the media and biologists alike.  Learn more at the links below!

Treehopper photos by Pavel Kirilov, CC-SA-2.0

 

Conservation biologist Piotr Naskrecki extols the fascinating biology of treehoppers

UConn EEB alumnus Piotr Naskrecki highlights many weird and wonderful creatures that might be overlooked because of their size, , including treehoppers, through his extraordinary photography, conservation efforts, and research.

 

Listen to and learn about treehopper courtship communication with researcher Kasey Fowler Finn on NPR

Treehoppers communicate by vibrating on plant stems–this vibrational communication is used both during courtship and between mothers and their offspring!  Vibrational communication occurs in a wide range of animals, ranging in size from tiny treehoppers to elephants.

Kasey Fowler-Finn (left) watches as her graduate student Dowen Jocson uses an infrared sensor to measure the temperature of leaves at the Shaw Nature Reserve. Jocson is studying how temperature affects treehopper mating behavior. Credit Véronique LaCapra | St. Louis Public Radio

National Geographic on the weirdness of treehoppers

This 2019 article, featuring treehopper photos by wildlife photographer of the year awardee Javier Aznargonzá Lez de Rueda, highlights their biology and diversity.

Photo of Cladonota cf. biclavatus by Kelly Swing from a National Geographic blog.

This video from the California Academy of Sciences explains treehopper communication in a kid-friendly way!