Machaerotidae

Machaerotidae are a family of bugs in the superfamily Cercopoidea which were formerly placed within Cercopidae. They are sometimes called tube-forming spittle-bugs as the nymphs form a calcareous tube within which they live. These bugs are mainly found in the Old World tropics. The adults of many genera have a long, free and spine-like process originating from the scutellum and thus superficially similar to the tree-hoppers, Membracidae. The tegmen or forewing, like typical bugs of the suborder Heteroptera, always has a distinct, membranous apical area.

Like other cercopoids, these are xylem-sap feeders. The nymph extracts calcium from the xylem fluid and constructs a calcareous tube from Malphigian gland secretions. They typically feed on woody dicots and immerse themselves in a rather clear fluid excretion inside the tube. The tubes strongly resemble the shells of certain serpulid sea worms or helicoid land snails and contain no less than 75% calcium carbonate. This habit is quite uncommon in the class Insecta and markedly different from that of typical spittlebugs, which make and live in a froth mass. Machaerotids produce foam only when they emerge from the tube to moult. There are about 115 species in 31 genera placed in 4 tribes. The majority of species are found in Southeast Asia with a small number in Africa. They were traditionally separated into two subfamilies; Machaerotinae which have the scutellar spine, and Enderleiniinae which lack it. A third subfamily, also lacking the spine, Apomachaerotinae, was recognized in 2014. The scutellum has a "tail" or appears raised towards the posterior end.

A list of the subfamilies, tribes and genera is as follows:
 * Apomachaerotinae
 * Apomachaerota Schmidt, 1907
 * Serreia Baker, 1927
 * Machaerotinae
 * Maxudeini
 * Blastacaen Maa, 1963
 * Conditor Distant, 1916
 * Maxudea Schmidt, 1907
 * Machaerotini
 * Dianmachaerota Nie & Liang, 2009
 * Grypomachaerota Schmidt, 1907
 * Irridiculum Hamilton, 2014
 * Machaerota Burmeister, 1835
 * Platymachaerota Schmidt, 1918
 * Romachaeta Maa, 1963
 * Sigmasoma Schmidt, 1907
 * Tapinacaena Maa, 1963
 * Enderleiniinae
 * Hindoloidini
 * Aphrosiphon China, 1935
 * Hindoloides Distant, 1915
 * Kyphomachaerota Bell & Cryan, 2013
 * Trigonurella Maa, 1963
 * Enderleiniini
 * Aecalusa Maa, 1963
 * Allox Hamilton, 2014
 * Chaetophyes Schmidt, 1981
 * Enderleinia Schmidt, 1907
 * Hindola Kirkaldy, 1900
 * Labramachaerota Bell & Cryan, 2013
 * Labrosyne Maa, 1963
 * Machaeropsis Melichar, 1903
 * Makiptyelus Maki, 1914
 * Neuroleinia Lallemand, 1936
 * Neuromachaerota Schmidt, 1912
 * Pectinariophyes Kirkaldy, 1906
 * Polychaetophyes Kirkaldy, 1906
 * Taihorina Schumacher, 1915