#keeled treehopper

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[northerlyy]

Keeled Treehopper (Entylia carinata), taken April 27, 2025, in Georgia, US

A lifer treehopper for me! This guy flew in and landed right on top of a fly. Because of that, I thought it was another fly but noticed the pigmentation was strange, so I bent down for a closer look. Thank god I did, because this guy is epic! I'm always on the lookout for treehoppers, but they seem so rare to me. Hopefully this spring brings me even more hopper luck!

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In early summer I noticed some spiny, bright red hopper nymphs on the datura in the backyard. Within a week or so, they started turning into orange, fin-shaped adults. I had never seen anything quite like them.

I rarely try to identify creatures or plants because I am lazy and forgetful. I just like looking at them, not looking them up. But these are so striking that they were easy to find.

They are Antianthe expansa, or keeled treehoppers, and the very first photos that popped up were taken in the neighboring county.

I've read that they can eat tomatoes and eggplant, but these have only seemed interested in datura (another nightshade relative), and I mostly grow it because it brings all the insect boys to the yard. So, we're all happy.

Cochise County, Arizona, June 2024.

(If you'd like to see an insane number of additional photos...)

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As juveniles, these keeled treehoppers (Antianthe expansa) are bright red and spiny. The adults are wedge-shaped and orange. It turns out that the adults never lose their inner spiny nymph; it's just covered up by their hemeltrya, or protective forewings.

The hopper in the top photo had lost its wing on one side and seemed to be in a grim state, but it was very interesting to see its inner self.

Cochise County, Arizona, September 2024.