Alder Spittlebug vs Cup Lichen

Aphrophora alni compared with Cladonia peziziformis

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Cup Lichen is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Cup Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Cladoniaceae
Genus	Aphrophora	Cladonia
Species	Aphrophora alni	Cladonia peziziformis

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Cup Lichen

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Cup Lichen
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).

Cup Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Norway, Portugal, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia). Currently classified as Endangered 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 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States