Name the Insect or Spider

[Klipspringer]

I think they love this tree which is nicknamed rain-tree, but it should be bubble bath tree

[ExFmem]

Anyone want to post the two common names?

[Richprins]

Spit Bug?

[Lisbeth]

I still have no intelligent ideas; I know the names of too few insects

[ExFmem]

Spit Bug?

Close enough! Spittlebug is the actual name. YAY RP

[Richprins]

[ExFmem]

My common name while young may elicit a “yuck” from some, but describes me perfectly.

I live in a protective fortress.

I have another common name as an adult that describes an attribute of a non-insect.

(Added hint): At first glance I look like I’m taking a bubble bath.

Do you know both common names?


Answer: Common names = Spittlebug as a nymph, and Froghopper as an adult



(Taken in Montana)


As nymphs, spittlebugs feed on plant sap and then excrete bubbly foam, resembling saliva, to create a protective bubble bath around themselves. The foam serves a number of purposes. It hides the nymph from the view of predators and parasites, and it insulates against heat and cold, thus providing thermal control and also moisture control. Without the foam, the insect would quickly dry up. The nymphs pierce plants and suck sap causing very little damage. Much of the filtered fluids go into the production of the foam, which has an acrid taste, deterring predators. A few species are serious agricultural pests.

After maturing, they emerge as adult froghoppers. Adults are capable of jumping many times their height and length, giving the group their common name. Some species can jump up to 70 cm vertically: a more impressive performance relative to body weight than fleas.

Here’s a short video :

And now Klippies will explain the name "Rain Tree"

[Richprins]

Ex!

How disgusting!

[Klipspringer]

The spittle bug (Ptyelus grossus), also known as the rain-tree bug, occurs in bushveld areas os Southern Africa. They are gregarious in their larval and nymph stages, and at certain times of the year you might find hundreds congregating on a variety of trees and shrubs. They huddle closely together, using their drill-like mouthparts to feed on the cambium layer of their host plant and excreting a protective nest from a combination of the plant’s sap and oxygen. This foamy, processed sap insulates the nest against excessive heat and cold, prevents the larvae from drying out, and resembles spit, hence the name ‘spittle bug’. It accumulates and falls constantly, causing the ‘rain-tree’ phenomenon.

The African wattle and the apple leaf trees are favoured hosts, but spittle bugs may also be found feeding on Acacia trees and many varieties of shrub. So next time you’re under a tree in the bush and you feel a little rain on your skin, it’s more than likely a nest of spittle bugs doing what they do best. But don’t take it personally, they spit on everyone!

The rain-tree or apple-leaf tree (Philenoptera violacea) gets its nickname because of its relationship with spittle bugs. The tree is frequently attacked by spittle bugs that feed on the tree’s cambium layer, and the bugs then excrete a foamy sap that insulates them from drying out. This ‘spit’ can accumulate in great quantities and ‘rain’ down on the ground below, hence the name rain-tree. In effect this relationship between tree and insect allows the tree to use its own moisture and ‘re-water’ itself in drought conditions. The spittle bugs cause exudation of water from stem and branches to such an extent that the ground or area covered by this plant is wet, allowing it to use the moisture in drought conditions.
A real drought survivor!

Nymphs with bubble


Adult

[ExFmem]

Wonderful info.