Tube Spittlebug

Description:

Brown spittlebug, about 5-6mm in length. The machaerotines are called Tube Spittlebugs because the nymphs live in calcareous tubes attached to the stems of their food plants, which are usually eucalypts. The Machaerotidae (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) comprise a small, distinct and interesting group of insects mainly inhabiting the Old World tropics. The adult often has a long, free and spine-like process originating at the scutellum and is thus superficially similar to the Membracidae. Wikipedia.

Habitat:

Backyard, spotted on weeds.

Notes:

Reference: Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mobiledoll/.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froghopper. Distribution: The genus Machaerota is well represented in the neighboring countries of Borneo, with 3 species each in Malaya, Sumatra and Java, 1 each in Palawan and Celebes, 5 in Mindanao and 2 in South Vietnam. http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/pim/pdf/pim2....