Another ID Please

[iturnrocks]

I Thot I saw little white flowers in the field today, upon closer inspection it looked like someone spit, but it was on so many stems, that I figured it must be some kind of eggs or something. So i cut one off and headed for the microscope. I got lucky, the parents were still there. Im assuming this is some kind of mating thing anyway.

Some of the pics are similar, I hope they are detailed enough for you.

 

[lucanidae]

Those are Cercopidae, and they are not adults, but nymphs. Adults will have wings. They are feeding on the plants right now, not mating. Cool find!

 

[iturnrocks]

Frog hoppers, funny thing when I first saw the bubbles, I was thinking treefrog. Im not even sure how treefrogs breed, but anyway, thanks for the info.

Do you know whats up with the bubbles? is that some kind of pre-digestion thing or something?

 

[lucanidae]

"Spittlebug nymphs have special adaptations for producing the frothy bubbles within which they are concealed and protected. Part of their intake of plant sap is diverted from the oesophagus to the hind gut, and exudes from the anus. The nymphs breathe by means of a tubelike canal below the abdomen, and air is replenished by thrusting the tip of the abdomen outside the spittle mass. Strong contractions of the abdomen inside the spittle mass eject air from the tubular canal and result in bubble formation."

From:
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/r...tesprog/faunaofnz/Extracts/FNZ25/fnz25pop.asp