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Superfamily Cercopoidea - Spittlebugs

Spittle Bug - Clastoptera proteus Red-orange leafhopper - Philaenus spumarius Macro image taken in Ohio lawn.  - Clastoptera arborina Clastoptera arborina two lined spittlebug - Prosapia bicincta Cephisus variolosus from South Texas - Cephisus variolosus 9069097 Lepyronia - Aphrophora quadrinotata - male - female Leaf Hopper - Lepyronia quadrangularis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Auchenorrhyncha (True Hoppers)
Infraorder Cicadomorpha (Cicadas, Spittlebugs, Leafhoppers, and Treehoppers)
Superfamily Cercopoidea (Spittlebugs)
Numbers
~70 spp. in 9 genera of 3 families in our area, ~2,600 spp. in >360 genera of 5 extant families worldwide(1)
Identification
one or two stout spines on the hind tibiae, and a circlet of spines at the apex
Range
worldwide, much more diverse in the tropics(2)
Food
Has a symbiotic relationship with Zinderia insecticola, a B-proteobacteria, that assist in providing the insect with sufficient amino acids.(3)
Remarks
See Also
Cicadellidae (Leafhoppers) have 1-2 rows of spines on the hind tibiae (none in spittlebugs)