Neophilaenus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Description & Identification
Adults are typically 5 - 7mm long; females are somewhat larger than males.
As with all froghoppers, they have two stout spines on the outer edge of the hind tibiae, as well as several smaller spines at the tip.
Nymphs are typically pale yellow in colour with distinctive dark patches on the wing buds.
Neophilaenus species can be distinguished as adults from Philaenus spumarius by the more parallel outer edges of the wings when viewed from above (as opposed to the more convex outline of P. spumarius) and their overall pattern of markings. They are much smaller than Aphrophora species. Neophilaenus lineatus is identified by the pale margin of the forewing, backed by a darker line. There is a dark form that occurs in certain populations living on purple moor grass, Molinia caerulea (Harkin & Stewart 2019)
Biology & Ecology
Neophilaenus lineatus is a grassland species, favouring
grasses, sedges and rushes rather than herbaceous plants or
trees.
Females lay eggs singly or in groups in the autumn. On emergence the following spring, nymphs begin producing the characteristic spittle ‘nests’ which provide protection against
predators and desiccation. Spittle can be seen from April to
late June. The nymph moults five times within the spittle
before emerging as a free-living adult. Adults can be found
from June until September, but sometimes as late as
November. (Harkin & Stewart 2019)
Classification
Synonymy
Cicada lineata Linnaeus, 1758
Philaenus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ptyelus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ptyelus spumarius lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ptyleus lineatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Cicada abbreviata Fabricius, 1787
Cercopis capitata Fabricius, 1794
Philaenus pulchellus Sahlberg, 1871
Common Names (full list)
Source: Catalogue of Life
Source: Taxon list of Auchenorrhyncha from Germany compiled in the context of the GBOL project
Source: TAXREF
Source: Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Source: Catalogue of Life
Source: Checklist of Vermont Species
Source: Checklist of Vermont Species
Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species - United States (Contiguous) (ver.2.0, 2022)
Source: National Checklist of all species occurring in Denmark
Additional Images
Images provided by GBIF data providers. We cannot verify that identifications are correct.
Worldwide Distribution
UK Status: Present
Neophilaenus lineatus is the most common and widespread
of the Neophilaenus species and can be found across Britain
and Ireland. (Harkin & Stewart 2019)
Vector Status
As with all froghoppers, N. lineatus feeds on the liquid contents of the xylem vessels of its host plant. As such, it is a potential vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa which has caused the death of many olive trees in southern Europe, although this disease has not been detected in the UK. (Harkin & Stewart 2019)
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