All insects are in general creatures creepy,
Except for maybe the colourful butterfly;
Simply reading the prompt made me a tad weepy,
Writing about a weird insect I had to try.

Internet search gave a picture of this insect,
Its pronotum long, shaped like a dinosaur's neck;
Another where the helmet is like thorn perfect,
Bizarre body shapes yet are sized small as speck.

The Membracidae is quite a big family,
They are also known as typical treehoppers;
Three thousand species, when disturbed all jump quickly,
Related to the cicadas and leaf hoppers.

Feed on tree sap, secrete sugary honeydew,
Which is food for variety of wasps and ants,
This interaction provides some benefits too,
predators, to treehoppers protection grants.

Except Antarctica, found in all continents,
Quite unusual a insect, it is indeed;
Of many ecosystems, vital components,
The treehoppers made for an interesting read.