Membracis
| Membracis | ||||||||||||
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Membracis foliatafasciata ( Syn . : M. foliata c-album ) from the side and from above |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Membracis | ||||||||||||
| Fabricius , 1775 |
Membracis is a genus of the humpback hoppers or humpback chirps (Membracidae), a family of the round-headed cicadas (Cicadomorpha) from the superfamily of the Membracoidea.
The genus contains 48 species that mainly occur in South and Central America ( Neotropic ). Two species ( M. mexicana and M. nigra) also occur in the Nearctic , Mexico and the southwest of the USA.
As with all Membracidae, the pronotum is enlarged. Characteristic of this genus is that the pronotum is compressed laterally, flat leaf-shaped, when viewed from the side it is round, helmet-shaped. These humpback cicadas are usually around 8 to 13 mm in size and often very brightly colored and conspicuously colored.
The species of the genus Membracis can often be found in groups on branches. The larvae in particular often live in groups where they are associated with ants. The females lay their eggs in large numbers on young twigs and leaves and protect them with a foamy substance.
The humpback cicadas of the genus Membracis occur on very many plants whose plant juices suck. They are very often associated with ants.
Some species of the genus Membracis are considered pests. For example, both the larvae and the adult cicadas of Membracis mexicana are a pest on prickly peas ( Annona muricata ) in Honduras and on pigeon peas ( Cajanus cajan ) in Costa Rica .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sakakibara, AM and O. Evangelista, Membracis foliata (L.) (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Mebrainae) and allied species; J. Natural History, 44.2131-2148
- ↑ LL Deitz & MS Wallace: Richness of the Nearctic Treehopper Fauna (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae and Membracidae) . In: Zootaxa . tape 3423 , 2012, p. 1-26 .
- ^ Lin, C., Social behavior and life history of membracinae treehoppers
literature
- Carolina Godoy, Ximena Miranda, Kenji Nishida: Membrácidos de la América Tropical / Treehoppers of Tropical America . INBio, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica 2006, ISBN 9968-927-10-4 .
