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 Kyiv on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 120th most-seen of the 753 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.
August to October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Buffalo Treehopper in Kyiv on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, 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, Kyiv ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, about 10%), Berlin (Germany, about 10%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Buffalo Treehopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Kyiv (40 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.
