A prickly Cladonota biclavata patrols a tree near Ecuador’s Napo River. Found from Mexico to Argentina, some treehoppers in this genus have among the largest pronota (their modified thoraxes).

Insects known as treehoppers vary wildly in form, sporting many different shapes and colors. Recently, Dr. Brendan O. Morris and Dr. Christopher H. Dietrich, of the University of Illinois at ...