Alder Spittlebug vs Tiny Earthstar

Aphrophora alni compared with Geastrum minimum

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Tiny Earthstar is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Tiny Earthstar
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Geastrales (Geastrales)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Geastraceae
Genus	Aphrophora	Geastrum
Species	Aphrophora alni	Geastrum minimum

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Tiny Earthstar

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Tiny Earthstar
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).

Tiny Earthstar

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). 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 🇺🇸 United States