Philaenus spumarius

Philaenus spumarius, the meadow froghopper or meadow spittlebug, is a species of insect belonging to the spittlebug family Aphrophoridae. In Italy, it is economically important as the vector of Xylella fastidiosa. The genus name Philaenus comes from the Greek philein ('love'), while the species name spumarius is from the Latin spuma ('sparkling'), referred to the foam nests; the binomial Philaenus spumarius can be translated as 'foam lover.' Varietas within this species include: These 'froghoppers' are quite common and widespread. Their original distribution was restricted to the Palaearctic ecozone. It is present in most of Europe, in North Africa, in part of Russia, in Afghanistan and in Japan. It has been introduced in North America and Canada. The species reaches a body length of 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in). Most females are slightly larger than the males. In these polymorphic 'froghoppers' the coloration of the body is very variable (about 20 different colors are known). Usually they are yellowish, brownish or black, with brighter patches on a dark background, but also with dark markings on a lighter background. The most common modes of locomotion are running and flying, but the most striking is their strong jumping ability, which is useful for escaping from predators. Philaenus spumarius is a very 'eurytopic' species, meaning that these froghoppers can tolerate a wide range of environmental factors and therefore exist in many different habitats (parks, meadows, gardens, etc.).They live in almost all open land habitats and in open forests. They are absent only in very wet and very dry habitats. The females lay eggs singly or in groups on the food plants of the larvae. A single female can produce up to 350 to 400 eggs. In unfavorable climatic periods, these froghoppers can survive in the form of eggs.