Page 113 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #10

OURWILD WORLD

What

is it?

ALIEN VERSUS PREDATORS
The treehopper is the cyborg of the
insect world, with bizarre projections
and protuberances sprouting from
its thorax. The precise function of
these extreme enhancements is
rather mysterious. They may play a
part in physical protection or mate
attraction. Or they could serve as
resonators for the amplification of
acoustic signals. In the case of the
tropical American species Alchisme
grossa, though, camouflage is at least
part of the story. And any predator
that sees through the thorn-like
disguise still has to contend with an
arsenal of toxic chemicals harnessed
from the sap that the bugs suck from
wild potato plants. SB

October 2018 BBC Wildlife 113