Alder Spittlebug vs Crab Apple

Aphrophora alni compared with Malus sylvestris

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Crab Apple is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Crab Apple
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Rosales (Roses & Allies)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Rosaceae (Rose Family)
Genus	Aphrophora	Malus
Species	Aphrophora alni	Malus sylvestris

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Crab Apple

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Crab Apple
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alder Spittlebug

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Crab Apple

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India, Yemen), Europe (9 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Argentina, Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alder Spittlebug

The Alder Spittlebug (Aphrophora alni) is a species in the genus Aphrophora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States