Alder Spittlebug vs Scaly Stalkball

Aphrophora alni compared with Tulostoma melanocyclum

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Scaly Stalkball is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Scaly Stalkball
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Aphrophora	Tulostoma
Species	Aphrophora alni	Tulostoma melanocyclum

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Scaly Stalkball

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Scaly Stalkball
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).

Scaly Stalkball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically 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 4 countries:

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