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Superfamily Cercopoidea - Spittlebugs

Diamondback Spittlebug - Aphrophora quadrinotata Spittlebug - Clastoptera laevigata Red Cedar Spittlebug - Clastoptera arborina Clastoptera obtusa Bug - Clastoptera arborina Clastoptera doeringae Nymph cool spittlebug on black walnut - Clastoptera obtusa
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)