Three-Cornered Alfalfa Treehopper vs Neotropical Backswimmer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Three-Cornered Alfalfa Treehopper Neotropical Backswimmer
Scientific Name Spissistilus festinus Buenoa antigone
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Membracidae Notonectidae
Size 5-7 mm 5-9 mm
Habitat Farmland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions North America Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Three-Cornered Alfalfa Treehopper

A small green wedge-shaped treehopper that is a pest of soybeans and alfalfa. It girdles plant stems during egg-laying, causing significant crop damage.

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Did You Know?

Its stem-girdling egg-laying habit can cause soybean plants to snap at the base in strong winds.

Neotropical Backswimmer

A small aquatic bug that swims upside-down using its long oar-like hind legs. Its pale ventral surface provides camouflage when viewed from below against the sky.

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Did You Know?

It carries a silvery air bubble on its belly that functions like a physical gill, extracting dissolved oxygen from the water.