Two-lined Spittlebug vs Psyllid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Two-lined Spittlebug Psyllid
Scientific Name Prosapia bicincta Diaphorina citri
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cercopidae Liviidae
Size 8-10 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Grasslands Orchards
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Eastern and Southern North America, Central America Asia, Americas, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Two-lined Spittlebug

A black spittlebug with two vivid red-orange transverse bands across its wings, common in turf grasses across the southeastern United States. Large populations can cause significant damage to lawns and pastures.

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Did You Know?

Infested lawns develop a distinctive purple-striped discoloration from the toxins injected during feeding.

Psyllid

A small sap-sucking insect that vectors citrus greening disease, the most devastating citrus disease worldwide. Infected trees produce bitter misshapen fruit and eventually die.

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Did You Know?

The disease it spreads has caused billions of dollars in losses and threatens global citrus production.