Membracid treehopper

Tsalapata, yor guess is as good as any other one. Stange head crests are common within family Membracidae, as you can see here: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1589......

This is probably the most weird looking insect of the world. The appendages remind me of cordyceps unilateralis. Maybe some evolution mimicking thing to prevent predators?

http://www.strangeanimals.info/2014/12/t...

Lovely!!

soooo crazy!

Awesome spotting Sergio!

Fun fact! Nature can sometimes be stranger than fiction – take the membracid treehoppers; many of the 3,000 known species sport strange and elaborate structures on their thorax. Whilst some have clearly evolved to resemble thorns, others, like this one, have scientists baffled as to their purpose. One theory is that their presence may deter predators by making the ‘hopper harder to catch and to eat, or the hairs are sensory bristles, and that the ornament may have an unknown tactile function.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...
https://twitter.com/projectnoah/status/3...

lovely organism, lovely spotting!

Because of Mr. Monteiro (I know he said not to call him by last name, but I have such great respect for him), I became interested in insects.
Before that, I didn’t even like insects. So, great thanks to him for changing my world!

@AmazonWorkshops
Here on Project Noah Sergio's collection most wondrous Arthropod organisms..... very precious...

Check out the link below for a great and funny article on Bocydium globulare (aka Brazillian Tree Hopper). After I read this article the first place I turned was to PN to see if there were any photos. Thankfully Sergio had posted the scientific name and I found the one and only photo on PN! To me this is what PN is all about! YAY!

http://io9.com/5975761/the-brazilian-tre...

P.S. I think I've discovered a new wildlife obsession! Thanks Sergio

WOW!! Another amazing Tree Hopper. Every time I see them they are more amazing than the last one I saw... : )

Epic coolness! Wow!

Thank you very much AmazonWorkshops. Without you, I could have missed this incredible spotting. When this was posted, I was not aware of Project Noah's existence. "Helicopter Treehopper," just perfect name.

This is the one that is called the "Helicopter Treehopper". Wonderful.

Fantastic!!

Ashish, Gerardo and Karen: after going through the links you provided (and several others), I'll keep the "Bocydium globulare" ID (although I am still intrigued by the statement in Gerardo's link that these insects are found only in the northern half of South America). I'll keep my eyes open anyway, for further info on this. Thank you all for the interest you showed on this spot, and the info you provided.

Its great spotting on Project Noah... and as reference page here only on Project Noah...Well done Asergio.. this is important lesson for everyone.

Need to translate from Italian to any your language...
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membracidae...

Bocydium globulare as mentioned on
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/...

:)

Are they also called Surreal treehoppers..?

Oh wow!

Karen and Gerardo, thank you for the suggestions, but... both suggestions point to insects very similar to mine, but they diverge on family and, obviously, genus. And Gerardo, the link you provided states that that specific one is found in northern amazon forest only (which is far away from where I live). I've been looking for an ID, but it seems that there is a lot of confusion about this and other weird hoppers (maybe too many amateur photographers like me trying to do it). I'll keep trying to find a reliable source, when I find it I'll let you know.

Brazilian Treehopper / Bocydium Globulare

http://www.google.com.mx/imgres?q=bocydi...

Woooow fantastic i just seen some similar on the internet incredible!