The Cercopidae (spittlebugs or froghoppers) form the largest xylem-sap sucking family group in the Cercopoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha). The cercopids are characterized by their bright colour patterns and by the copious amounts of protective frothy excreta produced by their young. They are characterized by the presence of one or two spines on hind tibiae laterally, and one or more rows of spines apically. Cercopids are extremely proficient at jumping, and feed on a variety of plants, principally on pasture grasses and sugar cane, hence their common Latin American names of ‘cigarrinhas-das-pastagens’ and ‘cigarrinhas-da-cana-de-açúcar’.