Alder Spittlebug vs Heath Bee-fly

Aphrophora alni compared with Bombylius minor

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Heath Bee-fly is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Heath Bee-fly
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Diptera (Diptera)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Bombyliidae
Genus	Aphrophora	Bombylius
Species	Aphrophora alni	Bombylius minor

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder Spittlebug and Heath Bee-fly share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Heath Bee-fly

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Heath Bee-fly
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).

Heath Bee-fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden