Horned cicadas, also known as "thorn bugs," are insects that are well versed in the art of imitation. Some horned cicadas have horn-like protrusions that are even more ornate, and they use this to mimic dead leaves. If their camouflage is recognized, the horned cicadas will bounce up with the help of their powerful hind legs and quickly escape.
It is well known that the horns on the heads of cattle, the horns on the heads of deer, and the horns on the heads of rhinos are not beautiful ornaments, but weapons used for attack or defense. Amazingly, in the insect family, there are also many insects with strange horns on their heads, and the horned cicada is one of them. The horns of the horned cicada are indeed very strange. Its horns, unlike mammals, grew from the skull, but were formed from the dorsal plate of the front chest of the thorax. Different kinds of horned cicadas have different horns, and the horns of the Chinese high-crowned horned cicada extend high backwards and upwards, as if wearing a high-crowned hat; the horns of the three-spined horned cicada stick out backwards against the abdomen and back, like a spike. These strangely shaped horns on the head of the horned cicada are not used for fighting like beasts, but they have their own wonderful uses.
The body is 2-20 mm long, the shape is strange, generally black or brown, and a few colors are bright. 2 single eyes, located between the compound eyes. The dorsal plate of the anterior thorax is very well developed, extending posteriorly to the top of the abdomen, often with protrusions of various shapes. There are about 3,000 known species in the world, and nearly 300 species in China.
The eggs are yellow and long-shaped, and the female destroys the bark to form a double row of cracks and lay eggs in them, thus damaging the tree. Fungi and pathogens can be entered from this seam. Pale green worms hatch in the spring and feed on the sap of nearby grasses. Mature in the middle of summer and return to the tree to lay eggs. Buffalo horned cicadas (Stictocephala bubalus or Ceresa bubalus) are 6 to 8 males long, harming young fruit trees, especially apple trees. Platycotis vittata and P. quadrivitta feed on deciduous and evergreen oak trees.