CERCOPIDAE The spittle insects or frog hoppers are quite noticeable on account of the masses of froth that surround the young and which adheres to stems of plants or twigs of trees in such quantity as to attract attention. Some of the species must be of considerable economic importance since they occur in such numbers as to cause a severe drain upon the plants affected. The most notable ones in this area are the meadow frog hopper and the forest frog hopper mentioned below.
Aphrophora parallela (Say) (Fig. 12, a).
Cranberry Lake (Barber Pt.), July 8, 1917; Aug. 1-8, 1917; Aug. 4, 1918.
Wanakena, Aug. 1-7, 1917. The species is apparently limited to coniferous trees as it has apparently never been recorded out side of the coniferous area and is the most common species on the conifers; its nymphal stages and the associated froth masses ap pear during June and early July. The adults are not uncommon in July and egg-deposition occurs during July or August.
This species is capable of considerable injury to the coniferous forests being very generally distributed and abundant and the punctures on the twigs resulting in weakening, wilting, or Occa sionally killing of terminal twigs; the evidence of injury, unless the froth masses are observed, are apparent only some time after the attack has been made. It may commonly be credited to other sources of injury as the real culprits may have entirely disappeared when the injury becomes evident. Adults probably feed to qUite an extent on the twigs or smaller branches hut with less drain upon the plant than during the nymphal stage. It has been bred from spruce and pine and may occur on conifers.
• Aphorophora 4-.notata (Say).
This occurs on quite a large variety of plants and in some loca tions is very common. It is apparently most frequent in the low ground locations along streams or lake margins, although one cap tured on the plains, which was in a border of a thicket, might indicate more open habitat. Cranberry Lake, July 11-14-20, 1917, July 28-30. Aug. 11, 1920. Wanakena, Aug. 1-7, 1917.
This species also occurs on a variety of plants and has been taken in a number of different plants, especially in the vicinity of Barber Point.
Philaronia bilineata (Say).
This species is common on the western plains and during the present season was found only on the "plains" where it occurred in open meadows upon the plains grass. In such location it is quite abundant, but can hardly be counted an economic species in this region. Cranberry Lake, July 24, 1917. Wanakena, Aug. 1-7, 1917. Plains, Aug. 3, 1920.
The meadow frog-hopper is one of the most abundant of the spittle-insects and throughout the entire New England region occasions no little injury to plants, especially clover and other legumes, but does not attack the grasses. It has no restricted habitat except that it does not occur in the deeper woods and its froth masses are most commonly observed on the small shrubs or annuals. The froth masses of this species are not distinguishable from those of P. lineatus, but there seems to be a distinct choice of food plant; it occurs on a great variety of plants but, so far as observed, not on grasses. The occurrences of special interest here are on fire cherry, and raspberry, but they abound on many plants, especially those of the family cornpositae.
The larvae of this species are to be separated from those of P. lineatus by the relatively shorter, blunter head. The froth masses including nymphs appear for this locality at the same time as those of P. lineatus, late June and early July, the adults beginning to appear by July 10 (1920) and becoming abundant a little later.. The species occurs in many different varieties both in Europe and America and most of these varieties have been observed in the Cranberry Lake region. Cranberry Lake, July 21, 1917, Aug. and July 2, 1920; Camp, early July, 1920; Wanakena, Aug. 1-7, 1917; Grasse River, July 22, 1920; Plains, Aug. 3, 1920.