Kicking-defense
Guides
Hoplophorionini
Hoplophorionini is a tribe of treehoppers (Membracidae) comprising 105 species in 10 genera, distributed from Canada to Chile with highest diversity in the Neotropics. Members are characterized by elaborate pronotal modifications and, uniquely among Membracidae, are apparently subsocial and lack mutualistic associations with honeydew-collecting ants. Parental investment includes specialized defensive kicking behavior and construction of extra-ovipositional punctures in host tissue through which nymphs feed.