Alder Spittlebug vs St. James' shell

Aphrophora alni compared with Pecten maximus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	St. James' shell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Pectinida (Pectinida)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Pectinidae
Genus	Aphrophora	Pecten
Species	Aphrophora alni	Pecten maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder Spittlebug and St. James' shell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

St. James' shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	St. James' shell
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).

St. James' shell

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Chile).

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.

St. James' shell

St. James' shell (Pecten maximus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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