Brachiaria
Guides
Prosapia
froghoppers, spittlebugs
Prosapia is a genus of froghoppers (family Ischnorhinidae) comprising approximately six described species distributed across North and Central America, including the Caribbean. These insects are commonly known as spittlebugs due to the protective foamy masses produced by nymphs. Several species are significant agricultural pests of forage grasses, turfgrasses, and sugarcane, causing economic damage through xylem feeding that induces water stress, tissue death, and reduced forage quality. The genus includes the invasive two-lined spittlebug (P. bicincta), which established in Hawaiʻi in 2016 and has since damaged thousands of hectares of cattle pastures.
Prosapia simulans
Prosapia simulans is a spittlebug species (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) native to Central America that was first detected in Colombia in 1999, where it has since become an economic pest of cultivated graminoids. The species has a hemimetabolous life cycle with five nymphal instars and exhibits a notably long life cycle of approximately 72 days compared to other spittlebug species in the region. Females preferentially oviposit on plant stems rather than soil, distinguishing it ecologically from congeners. Eggs can enter diapause, with field-collected eggs showing nearly 70% diapause incidence during dry season months. The species currently has a restricted distribution within Colombia's Cauca Valley but poses ongoing agricultural concern.