Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
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Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
Our Fire Weed in the front yard always has a lot of spittle on them. I was curious what was inside. Canon 1Dx with Canon MPE-65, magnification unrecorded. Dollar store foamie for a background to remove clutter.
Inside was a kinda cute Brown Leaf Hopper nymph. Interestingly as the nymph was exposed to the "outside" the glossiness of its protection disappeared making it easier to photograph.Re: Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
Very nice.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing
Re: Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
nice, detailed and sharp shots ...
- MarkSturtevant
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Re: Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
That is a startlingly clear picture of the nymph. Well done. I know the bubbles are made from plant sap, but I don't know how they make bubbles with it.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters
Re: Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
The bubbles come out of their butt. What they do inside themselves to create the bubble is above my knowledge. I think the sap is a little sticky and with a little air, viola, bubble. I might have to bring a couple into the house this summer and keep an eye out. They really seem to like our Fireweed, the odd one will appear on our Goutweed (usually on the flowering stem) but I don't or haven't seen them on any other plants around our yard. It should be a good summer project.MarkSturtevant wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 12:04 pmThat is a startlingly clear picture of the nymph. Well done. I know the bubbles are made from plant sap, but I don't know how they make bubbles with it.
- MarkSturtevant
- Posts: 1946
- Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
- Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
- Contact:
Re: Spittle Bug - Brown Leaf Hopper Nymph
Thanks! Then their bubble making may be a matter of excreting excess sappy fluid from their rear (Hemipterans commonly do this to concentrate the nutrients in the sap), and then push air into the excretion from a pair of posterior spiracles.AlP wrote: ↑Wed Jan 26, 2022 9:30 pmThe bubbles come out of their butt. What they do inside themselves to create the bubble is above my knowledge. I think the sap is a little sticky and with a little air, viola, bubble. I might have to bring a couple into the house this summer and keep an eye out. They really seem to like our Fireweed, the odd one will appear on our Goutweed (usually on the flowering stem) but I don't or haven't seen them on any other plants around our yard. It should be a good summer project.
How weird that we wonder about these things.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters