Rare Giraffe-like Bug?

Forums: Bugs, Insects, Entomology, Treehoppers, Leafhoppers
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I've been researching, but have found zip on these guys. I unfortunately do not have pictures, though they look very, very much like the bug located here due to their shape: http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/hemiptera_malaysia_cxwong.jpg

It's tiny like that as well and is a solid light green. Both of their sides are completely smooth so that when you pick them up they can't reach back to your fingers or struggle. They don't have any joints other than in their legs, so they can't rotate their head or bend their neck. The legs were much shorter though. I used to catch them all the time growing up in the vines that lined my house. I remember most that they jumped very high and relatively far for their size. There would be dozens upon dozens of them so I believe they're fairly social or can live in very close proximity with each other. Their region here is western Pennsylvania. Would you have any idea what they are or could you point me in the direction of finding out? I have spent so much time looking them up but have been unable to find any information.

I'm not sure if they're common or not, but I'm guessing they're relatively uncommon if not rare. I've never seen them elsewhere but in those vines. I would take pictures to show but it's now nearing winter and I'm sure I would never find one until next spring. I never knew what they were called and neither did anyone I know, so we simply just called them 'giraffe bugs.'

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@Subliminal0,

My best guess is to ask Farmerman. He lives up that way, and keeps his eyes open to more than just geological stuff.

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@roger,

There is a bug xalled a giraffe beetle, that KInda looks like that.
The key is that its a true bug HEMIPTERA suborder HETEROPTERA. SO Id go to a bug key book and hunt it down.

The only bugs I know are those that damage my crops (and of course, a certain Volkswagen )

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@Subliminal0,

It's very difficult to identify without a photo of the actual bug. But just like the people who are speculating on that bug from Malaysia in your link, I think you're probably dealing with a leafhopper of some type. But it might also be a weevil or an assassin bug.

Weevils have a hard exterior like you describe, and they often have strange shapes, but I don't think they jump well. The leafhoppers obviously jump well (hoppers), but they don't usually have such hard external surfaces. Assassin bugs usually have long antennae.

If you can get a couple of clear photo's, I can probably identify it. Although as you say, we're approaching winter, so we might have to wait until spring.

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@Subliminal0,

You might try googling leafhoppers and see if any of them look similar. The exterior of a leafhopper is usually not a solid carapace, but folded wings (sometimes very colorful). The ones you're finding the vines might also be juveniles.

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@Subliminal0,

Thorn Mimic Leafhopper

http://i.pbase.com/o2/60/64560/1/103147060.IVuPQiBa.thornhopper1.jpg

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These insects are also called TreeHoppers and they come in a wide variety of strange shapes:

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/the-surreal-treehoppers

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@rosborne979,

I looked up your Thorn Mimic Leafhopper suggestion and they definitely look so much alike! The best picture I can find that represents them is this particular one: http://www.richard-seaman.com/USA/States/Michigan/LowerHuronMetropark/HuronThornBug.jpg

It's just the right shape and has the right legs. I don't remember them having wings, but I think it's just my imagine failing me. It's just odd to me that the vines they lived in had no thorns to even mimic. I guess it probably depends on how well they're doing in an environment and not if there are actually thorns. Thanks so much for the help! Do you know if they're uncommon in western PA?

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@Subliminal0,

Aha, all the leaf hoppers Im familiar with will destroy your alfalfa crop when its dry out. I wonder where one like the one youve shown makes its lifestyle?

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@Subliminal0,

Subliminal0 wrote:

It's just the right shape and has the right legs. I don't remember them having wings, but I think it's just my imagine failing me. It's just odd to me that the vines they lived in had no thorns to even mimic. I guess it probably depends on how well they're doing in an environment and not if there are actually thorns. Thanks so much for the help! Do you know if they're uncommon in western PA?

I believe the wings are diminished in size and tightly fused to the carapace, so you might not have noticed them.

My guess would be that these things are eating that vine (sucking the sap). That's probably why you see so many of them even though there are no thorns on the vine. Either that, or they're hatching on the vine and simply haven't moved of yet.

Try to get some photo's next summer. I would be curious to see exactly what they look like.

Best Regards,

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Recently my friend and I saw a giraffe-shaped insect on the railing of my deck in Wollongong Australia. It was about a centimetre tall, and was soft looking (no exoskeleton). It was mostly green in colour, though there was some black or dark grey on it. Sorry I cannot do better than that, but my eyesight is not that good and it took off when my friend was trying to photograph it, so no picture was obtained.

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It's probably a treehopper. Go to this site and put treehopper in the search engine.

http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=treehopper&search=Search

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Rare Giraffe-like Bug?

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