About Ptyelus grossus (Fabricius, 1781)
Ptyelus grossus is an Auchenorrhynchan spittlebug belonging to the family Aphrophoridae. This species occurs across Africa from Southern Africa through to West Africa. It is gregarious during its larval and nymph stages, feeding on a variety of plants. Nymphs produce protective shelters of acrid foam using sap from their host plant. When produced in large quantities, the foam drips incessantly, creating wet patches on the soil below. Adult individuals have slate-grey wings, each marked with two white and yellow patches near the outer margin. The head is white and rounded, with large dark eyes and small black and yellow marks on the forehead. The species favors host trees in the genera Tipuana, Peltophorum, and Lonchocarpus, but its broad diet also includes species of Grevillea, Rhus, Acacia, Vangueria, and even Eucalyptus. Nymphs of Ptyelus grossus are preyed upon by the gorytine wasp Gorytes natalensis, the drosophilid fly Leucophenga, and other carnivorous insects.
