Family: Membracidae (treehoppers)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa > Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Phylum: Arthopoda > Mandibulata > Atelocerata > Panhexapoda > Hexapoda > Insecta (insects) > Dicondyla > Pterygota > Metapterygota > Neoptera > Eumetabola > Paraneoptera > Condylognatha > Hemiptera (bugs) > Auchenorrhyncha > Cicadelloidea

Unidentified treehoppers on Psoralea pinnata in the fynbos and being tended by pugnacious ants Anoplolepis steingroeveri. Two adults can be distinguished; all the black individuals are nymphs.

Treehoppers are plant suckers and are distinguished from other bugs by the spike- or shield-like processes that project from the pronotum. They expel droplets of sugary honeydew at frequent intervals and so are tended actively by ants.