A horned treehopper sat on a leaf. It's a brown bug with two horns rising from the pronotum, which also extends back along the body in a wavy spine
Horned treehopper © Tom Hibbert

Horned treehopper

Centrotus cornutus

  • Where it lives:

  • Native species
Statistics 
Length:10mm

This bizarre bug can be found on plants in woodland rides and clearings.

About

The horned treehopper is one of just two treehoppers found in the UK. They're bugs, related to leafhoppers, frog hoppers and, more distantly, shieldbugs. Horned treehoppers are usually found on plants in woodland rides and clearings. They use their modified mouthparts (known as a rostrum) to suck up plant juices.

How to identify

A small, brown compact and very strange-looking bug. The pronotum (the section of the body behind the head) has two horn-like projections, and extends back over the body in a large, wavy spine.

Did you know?

The UK's only other species of treehopper is Gargara genistae. It is scarcer than the horned treehopper, lacks the horns and is usually found around broom.