description |
The Pine Spittlebug has the most inflated face of any spittlebug, sticking out in front of the flat upper surface ("crown") of the head; this gives the spittlebug's face a swollen appearance and a pointed head, distinctive to this species and a useful characteristic to separate A. cribrata from other members of this genus which have rounded heads. In addition, the black and white wing pattern/markings are distinctive; the white marks are spotted in appearance and form a disjunct upside down "V" with an apex facing the head. Wings are heavily pitted, characteristic of members of this genus. Males are typically smaller than females, ranging from 8.8 to 10 mm, while females are 9.1-11.5 mm. BG
Nymphs are dark, with early instars having a dark head and thorax and a pale brown abdomen. Nymphs show the pronounced jutting head characteristic of adults; the head is longer than the first segment of the thorax (whereas in A. saratogensis, the head is shorter). Older nymphs in late instars are more of a mottled brown, but still show the pronounced head. |
comments |
As the name suggests, this species creates spittle around the young. This spittle can be found among the needles of white pine.
NOTE: For decades, what is now identified as A. cribrata was identified as A. parallela. All the old literature references for paralella are therefore synonymous with A. cribrata. In 1982, a paper was published by A. Hamilton saying that the common eastern pine spittlebugs with nymphs on the pines is properly A. cribrata (Walker) and that a different conifer spittlebug is properly identified as A. parallela (Say). The current, non-synonymous A. parallela is also found on confers, namely spruce and tamarack, and is known as the spruce spittlebug. This nymphs of A. parallela proper live somewhere in the understory, with site and host largely unknown; some nymphs have been raised from Balsam fir though. It is unclear how far south A. parallela occurs, it could potentially occur on Fraser fir in the mountains. All of the spittlebug nymphs on pines in the east though belong to A. cribrata. [pers. comm. Vinton Stanton]
Therefore, all older records of A. parallela listed for North Carolina have been subsequently entered here as A. cribrata. |
Species Photo Gallery for Aphrophora cribrata Pine Spittlebug |
![](photos_records/2013/tnAphrophora_cribrata1375920386.JPG) | Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2017/04/tnAphrophora_cribrata1491249328.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn, Paul Scharf Halifax Co. Comment: mixed hardwood forest habitat; a mating pair |
![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1395570375.JPG) | Photo by: Paul Scharf Warren Co. Comment: Attracted To Black Light | ![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1410374565.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Childs Out Of State Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1415104534.JPG) | Photo by: Bockhahn, Scharf Burke Co. Comment: LAJA - 2014 BioBlitz, NYMPH, Found in Spittle on Pine Tree | ![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1415160109.JPG) | Photo by: Bockhahn, Scharf Burke Co. Comment: LAJA - 2014 BioBlitz, NYMPH, Found in Spittle on Pine Tree |
![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1415115791.jpg) | Photo by: L. Amos Warren Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1415122023.jpg) | Photo by: F. Williams Gates Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2014/tnAphrophora_cribrata1415120861.jpg) | Photo by: T. DeSantis Camden Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2015/08/tnAphrophora_cribrata1438633731.JPG) | Photo by: Harry Wilson Wake Co. Comment: mixed hardwood and pine habitat |
![](photos_records/2019/04/tnAphrophora_cribrata1556557923_0.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2019/04/tnAphrophora_cribrata1556557923_1.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2019/06/tnAphrophora_cribrata1559938028_0.jpg) | Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2019/06/tnAphrophora_cribrata1559938028_1.jpg) | Photo by: Mark Shields Onslow Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2019/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1558038850.jpg) | Photo by: G. Schneider, V. Jones, T. Kittle Iredell Co. Comment: LANO | ![](photos_records/2019/07/tnAphrophora_cribrata1564267026_0.jpg) | Photo by: Steve Hall Orange Co. Comment: Observed at moth sheet |
![](photos_records/2020/04/tnAphrophora_cribrata1588271376.jpeg) | Photo by: Cindy Darnell Durham Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/tnAphrophora_cribrata1588271367.jpeg) | Photo by: Cindy Darnell Durham Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1588347461_1.JPG) | Photo by: Harrison Abernethy Wake Co. Comment: Scores of these on pine saplings | ![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1588347460_0.JPG) | Photo by: Harrison Abernethy Wake Co. Comment: Scores of these on pine saplings |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1588877744_0.jpg) | Photo by: Margarita Lankford Orange Co. Comment: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45192123 | ![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589069179_0.jpg) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: nymph |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589069179_1.JPG) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: nymph | ![](photos_records/2020/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589072623.jpeg) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: nymph |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589163206_0.jpeg) | Photo by: Erich P. Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589163206_1.jpeg) | Photo by: Erich P. Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589163206_2.jpeg) | Photo by: Erich P. Hofmann Craven Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/tnAphrophora_cribrata1589760704.jpg) | Photo by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment: spittle |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1590170044_0.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Kneidel Scotland Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1590170044_1.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Kneidel Scotland Co. Comment: |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1590170044_2.jpg) | Photo by: Ken Kneidel Scotland Co. Comment: | ![](photos_records/2020/06/tnunid_spittlebug1591324117_0.jpg) | Photo by: Hunter Phillips, Cathy Songer Onslow Co. Comment: unid_spittlebug |
![](photos_records/2020/06/tnunid_spittlebug1591324117_1.jpg) | Photo by: Hunter Phillips, Cathy Songer Onslow Co. Comment: unid_spittlebug | ![](photos_records/2020/06/tnunid_spittlebug1591324117_2.jpg) | Photo by: Hunter Phillips, Cathy Songer Onslow Co. Comment: unid_spittlebug |
![](photos_records/2020/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1616422819.jpg) | Photo by: J. Mickey Wilkes Co. Comment: STMO | ![](photos_records/2021/06/tnAphrophora_cribrata1623679172.jpg) | Photo by: R. Newman Carteret Co. Comment: FOMA |
![](photos_records/2024/05/tnAphrophora_cribrata1715177809_0.JPG) | Photo by: Rob Van Epps Mecklenburg Co. Comment: |