Stictocephala bisonia
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The buffalo treehopper (Stictocephala bisonia) is a species of treehopper belonging to the subfamily Smiliinae. It is sometimes classified as Ceresa bisonia. This species is native to North America, but now it is widespread throughout southern Europe and it is also present in the Near East and in North Africa. Also recently reported from vineyards of Kashmir, India
Buffalo treehoppers are a bright green color and have a somewhat triangular shape that helps camouflage them so as to resemble thorns or a twiggy protuberance. It gets its name from the vague resemblance of its profile to that of an American bison. They grow to 6 to 8 millimeters (0.24 to 0.31 in) long and have transparent wings.
S. bisonia mates during the summer months. Males attract females with a song that, unlike similar songs used by cicada and crickets, is perceived by the female not as sound waves but as vibrations through the host plant. Females lay eggs from July to October using a blade-like ovipositor. Up to a dozen eggs are laid in each slit made by the female.
Nymphs emerge from the eggs the following May or June. The nymphs, which resemble wingless adults... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Buffalo Treehopper sighting in Kharkiv on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 140th most-seen of the 289 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buffalo Treehopper in Kharkiv on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Buffalo Treehopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 22 cities where we can rate Buffalo Treehopper sightings, Kharkiv ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, about 10%) and Berlin (Germany, about 10%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Buffalo Treehopper that you can see in Kharkiv (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are European Firebug (about 40%), Dock Bug (about 30%) and Green Shield Bug (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buffalo Treehopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Kharkiv (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
