Like
the other three families in the superfamily Cicadoidea, the Membracidae
have:
Antennae short and bristlelike, arising in front of or between the
compound eyes.
Tarsi 3-segmented.
Middle coxae short and contiguous.
No Y-vein in the anal area of the front wing.
Species in the family Membracidae are separated from those in other families
by having the pronotum extending back over the abdomen. Many species
also have the pronotum extending forward so that the insects may appear
like thorns on their host plant.
References:
Page 130 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Page 161 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects,
3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
Page 325 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction
to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing.
875 p.
Page 431 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
