Foam-production
Guides
Cercopoidea
froghoppers, spittlebugs
The superfamily Cercopoidea comprises hemipteran insects commonly known as froghoppers or spittlebugs. Adults possess powerful hind legs enabling jumps up to 70 cm vertically and 100 times their body length. Nymphs are renowned for producing foam shelters ("cuckoo spit") from excreted xylem sap, within which they develop concealed from predators and environmental extremes. The group exhibits xylem-feeding, an unusual trait among sap-feeding insects requiring symbiotic bacteria to supplement nutrient-poor diet.