Alder Spittlebug vs Spotted Darter

Aphrophora alni compared with Sympetrum depressiusculum

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Spotted Darter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Spotted Darter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Libellulidae
Genus	Aphrophora	Sympetrum
Species	Aphrophora alni	Sympetrum depressiusculum

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder Spittlebug and Spotted Darter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Spotted Darter

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Spotted Darter
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).

Spotted Darter

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Luxembourg, and Taiwan. 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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇱🇺 Luxembourg