Buffalo Treehopper

Buffalo Treehopper

Stictocephala bisonia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Washington

In 3 days ~10%

6 Verified sightings at Washington
34 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Buffalo Treehopper

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
2 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
4 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
5 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
7 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
8 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Nizhny Novgorod 🇷🇺 Russia
~10%
10 Kazan 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Buffalo Treehopper in Washington?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buffalo Treehopper sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 1533rd most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Buffalo Treehopper in Washington?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Buffalo Treehopper in Washington on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Buffalo Treehopper?

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.

Is Washington the best place to see a Buffalo Treehopper?

22nd of 22

Of the 22 cities where we can rate Buffalo Treehopper sightings, Washington ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Warsaw (Poland, about 10%), Berlin (Germany, about 10%) and Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 10%).

Where does the Buffalo Treehopper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Buffalo Treehopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (6 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.

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