Typical treehopper

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Glossonotus acuminatus is a large typical treehopper. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains. They are host specific almost exclusively to oaks, including white oak, swamp white oak, northern red oak, and pin oak. They feed on sap of younger woody twigs and smaller branches.

Adult females are ⅜″ (9.0 to 10.0 mm) in length and males are 5⁄16″ (7.5 to 8.5 mm) in length.

The plate on the thorax (pronotum) is large. It extends backward beyond the tip of the abdomen, coming to a sharp point near to slightly beyond the tip of the wings. It extends upward and slightly forward in a tall, slender, horn with a rounded tip. It is dark brown, grayish brown, or blackish brown, with scattered whitish spots. It is sometimes mottled and sometimes tinted green. Unlike similar species in the genus, it lacks a pale or white stripe along the rear edge of the dorsal crest.

There are two pairs of wings, and they are held roof-like over the body when at rest. The forewings (tegmina) are thickened, are longer than the body, and completely cover the sides of the body. They are mostly clear but are smoky brown at the tip. The veins are brown.

The legs are similarly colored, brown of brown and green with white spots.

Size

Male total length: 5⁄16″ (7.5 to 8.5 mm)

Female total length: ⅜″ (9.0 to 10.0 mm)

Similar Species

Habitat

Ecology

Season

One generation per year: late May to July

Behavior

Life Cycle

The female uses its saw-like ovipositor to deposit eggs in the bark of an oak tree. The eggs overwinter and hatch in the spring.

Nymph Food

Adult Food

Sap of oaks, including white oak, swamp white oak, northern red oak, and pin oak.

Distribution

Sources

24, 30, 82, 83.

Glossonotus acuminatus (Fabricius, 1775) in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-07-17 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgykv