Prosapia bicincta
Prosapia bicincta, the two-lined spittlebug, is a species of insect in the family Cercopidae. Adults are black with two red or orange lines crossing the wings. It reaches a length of 8โ10 mm. It is widespread in the eastern half of the United States.[1] A similar but possibly distinct species can be found throughout Central America where it is considered an agricultural pest.[2]
Prosapia bicincta | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hemiptera |
Suborder: | Auchenorrhyncha |
Family: | Cercopidae |
Genus: | Prosapia |
Species: | P. bicincta |
Binomial name | |
Prosapia bicincta (Say, 1830) | |
Nymphs feed on various grasses (including centipedegrass, bermudagrass and corn) from within foam (consisting of their own spittle) produced from juices of their host plant.[1] Adults feed on the leaves of both native and introduced species of holly, as well as on the leaves of the eastern redbud tree. It is a pest of forage grasses and turf grasses such as those grown for lawns and its consumption of these plants causes economic damage throughout the southeastern United States.[3]
References
- "Species Prosapia bicincta - Two-lined Spittlebug". BugGuide.Net. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- Peck, Daniel C. (1998-07-01). "Natural history of the spittlebug Prosapia nr. bicincta (Homoptera: Cercopidae) in association with dairy pastures of Costa Rica". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 91 (4): 435โ444. doi:10.1093/aesa/91.4.435.
- Peck, Daniel C. (December 1998). "Use of alternative food plants exclusively by adult male froghoppers (Homoptera: Cercopidae)". Biotropica. 30 (4): 639โ644. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.1998.tb00103.x. S2CID 84226555.