Alder Spittlebug vs Sooty Shield

Aphrophora alni compared with Pluteus ephebeus

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Sooty Shield is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Sooty Shield
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Pluteaceae
Genus	Aphrophora	Pluteus
Species	Aphrophora alni	Pluteus ephebeus

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Sooty Shield

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Sooty Shield
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).

Sooty Shield

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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