Spike-horned Treehopper
This is a rather exciting find. The vernacular name I made up myself as usual, based on the spikes on the horns. Thse unusual features remind me of some crab carapace. Of course, strictly talking 'Rorschach test', I primarily saw a heart shape. Better not to feed some psychoanalysts. This individual was found trapped on some spider silk. I was scanning the area for spiders when I noticed that this guy was alive and looking quite unusual with its two horns. Size about 8-9mm. All photos were taken in situ but I freed and moved the animal a meter to get a better angle for photographic documentation. I am sure the spider will get over a missed meal. The proboscis in one of the pictures is quite confusing. My websearch for an ID only seemed to show that this is not a common find, most probably a Terentiini. I assume but am not totally sure that the other object in the picture is not spider waste but the empty molt of this species. The animal was subsequently released right under the spider web where it was found into leaf-litter next to our compost bin and wood stack. Happy to repost any expertise or publish comments. Further research into the identification makes me quite confident that it is a species in the genus Lubra, a rarely documented and small genus, that differs from Ceraon by its hairy and patterned antlers. I also found a reference that the word 'lubra' is an often offensive term for Aboriginal girl or woman from Australia.
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