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Photo#1527288
Treehopper #1, without horn - Platycotis vittata

Treehopper #1, without horn - Platycotis vittata
Tracys Landing, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA
May 28, 2018
Looks like a Platycotis vitatta but want to check as some of the pictures in the guide look like this, some have different coloration. This one was resting on my garage door a short distance from an oak tree it has no horn. I found another one a short distance away on top of my car with a horn.

I was curious as to why some have horns and some do not, maybe a male/female thing? Perhaps not as I found the article (link below) which says that there are subspecies. Using the key in the article "Treehopper #1, without horn" would perhaps be Platycotis vitatta var. lineata? The other one Treehopper #2, with horn" (https://bugguide.net/node/view/1527291 and https://bugguide.net/node/view/1527290) would be Platycotis vitatta var. quadrivittata?

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/oak_treehopper.htm

While the treehoppers with horns are trying to look like thorns, why would an Oak Treehopper have horns as oak trees don't have thorns?

var. lineata
Moved from Treehoppers.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

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