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Antianthe expansa
The Keeled Treehopper is speckled with white spots and a black and white stripe along the back. It has two large thoracic spines on each side of the front of the thorax. It is usually green but can also be yellow or pale brown. The nymphs can be bright red or brown. These mothers were caring for their young, staying with them and will even puncture plant material to make feeding easier for their nymphs. As visible in the pictures, the adults exactly match the green patches on the branches where they were found. Family Membracidae.
Shrubs along the highway between Tuxtla and San Cristobal de Las Casas, Km 11.5, Chiapas, Mexico.
See this previous spotting where tiny parasitic wasps were waiting to attack the eggs the females were depositing on a branch. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/222... See these references for Antianthe: http://treehoppers.insectmuseum.org/publ... http://insectademexico.blogspot.mx/2013/... http://www.ots.ac.cr/rbt/attachments/vol... http://bugguide.net/node/view/38008/bgim...
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