Frontal portrait of Meadow Froghopper, made with magnification 8 and f/10 using a Canon 7D, a Canon MP-E 65mm/f2.8 and a Canon 2x teleconverter.
Philaenus spumarius, the 'Meadow Froghopper', is a species belonging to the family Cercopidae. The genus name "Philaenus" comes from the Greek "philein" meaning "love", while the species name "spumarius" is derived by the Latin "spuma" = "sparkling", referred to the foam nests. Therefore "Philaenus spumarius" may be translated as "foam lover."
These 'froghoppers' are quite common and widespread. 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. 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.
HemipteraCercopidaePhilaenus spumariusfroghopperinsectanimalnature
From Leafhoppers
