Aphrophoridae
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Schaumzikaden |
| • English: | spittle bugs |
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Aphrophoridae - (spittlebugs)
This family of plant-sucking insects contains around 1,000 species, including several pest species. For example, Philaenus spumarius is common in North America and Europe, feeding on various crops and transmitting the important bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa.
The larvae feed aboveground and excrete a covering frothy substance (spittle mass). This is believed to protect them from desiccation and the larvae breath with a special tube-like process at the tip of the abdomen which sticks out of the spittle mass periodically.
The adults are medium-sized (5-20 mm), compact and sometimes beetle-like. The colour is often brownish. The head is as wide as the pronotum. Pronotum and scutellum form a strong plate which extends between the wing bases. The family Aphrophoridae is part of the superfamily Cercopoidea which also includes the often colourful froghoppers (Cercopidae).
The following genera and species are currently entered in the system:
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