Madagascar Spittle Bug vs Desert Cicada

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Madagascar Spittle Bug Desert Cicada
Scientific Name Bourgoinrana madagascariensis Diceroprocta semicincta
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cercopidae Cicadidae
Size 8-12 mm 28-35 mm
Habitat Meadows Deserts & Drylands
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Madagascar North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Madagascar Spittle Bug

A small, dark planthopper that produces frothy spittle masses on plant stems as a nymph. Adults are dark brown to black with subtle banded markings on the wings.

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Did You Know?

Nymphs surround themselves with a mass of frothy bubbles made from excreted xylem fluid, which protects them from desiccation and predators.

Desert Cicada

A heat-loving cicada found throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Its shrill call is one of the most characteristic sounds of the desert summer.

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Did You Know?

It sweats through tiny pores to cool itself, one of the few insects known to use evaporative cooling.