Alder Spittlebug vs Western Thyme Plume

Aphrophora alni compared with Merrifieldia tridactyla

Key Differences

• Alder Spittlebug is Least Concern while Western Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Western Thyme Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Aphrophora	Merrifieldia
Species	Aphrophora alni	Merrifieldia tridactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder Spittlebug and Western Thyme Plume share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Western Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Western Thyme Plume
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).

Western Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Asia (5 countries) and Europe (28 countries). 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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden