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Project Noah Nature School
Tomaspis inca
Black Froghopper (Spittle Bug) with red bands that was very abundant on all types of vegetation. Active fliers as well. About 1.5 cm in length. They might be distasteful with that warning coloration. Family Cercopidae. See also: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/445....
Heavy shrubbery along the highway between San Cristobal de Las Casas and Tuxtla Gutierrez, km 11.5, 865 meters.
This Froghopper is amazingly variable and it is difficult to know if they are different species, subspecies or variants within a single species. Project Noah has many other submissions of this hopper: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/360... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/127... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/114... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/700... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/114... Color variations include: forewing band width, red or black eyes, red or black mouthparts, red present or absent on the legs or head, red coloring present or absent on the thorax and upper forewings and red coloring present or absent all along the scutellum. It was very abundant, as was a species of syrphid fly (Salpingogaster nigra) that is a predator of froghopper nymphs (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/370...)
Spotted on Aug 2, 2013
Submitted on Aug 18, 2013
5 Comments
Excellent! Glad to help. Keep the awesome bugs coming :)
Thank you Cindy - you started me investigating this fellow and I found out all kinds of interesting things, including the name and predator status of the wasp mimic fly that was everywhere that same day. :) Thank you!
Thank you Luis, I had seen yours and saw that it was a little different. There are many others (also all different) submitted to PN and I listed them in my spotting (including yours). Very interesting species. I also photographed the predator of the nymphs in the same place, a species of wasp mimic Syrphid fly (Salpingogaster nigra) http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/370....
Great find Lauren! I spotted one in Puerto Vallarta but it doesn't have the red near the head. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/360...
Nice series! Yes it's a Spittlebug from the Prosapia genus. Not sure which species you have down there.