Species Focus - Red and Black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata)

The Hemiptera are a large and ancient order of insects, traceable back to the Palaeozoic. They are colloquially known as ‘bugs’ in British English. The order is divided into four suborders, some with hard-to-pronounce names such as the Auchenorrhyncha. It is to this suborder that this month’s chosen species, Cercopis vulnerata, the Red and Black Froghopper, belongs.

There are many hundreds of species of ‘bug’ to be found in North Wales, with about 700 in the Cofnod database, and studying them is highly recommended. They are far less well-known than more popular orders, such as the Lepidoptera, and there are many discoveries to be made. Not all bugs are easy to identify by any means, especially amongst the Auchenorrhyncha; however, Cercopis vulnerata is a notable exception and cannot be mistaken for any other species.

Despite this, and the fact the insect is up to 1cm and is highly conspicuous, there are surprisingly few records in the Cofnod database – just over 130.

Cercopis vulnerata is the sole British representative of the family Cercopodidae and is thus not closely related to the familiar froghoppers, in the family Aphrophoridae, that make the blobs of spittle – often called ‘cuckoo spit’ – found on low vegetation. As with all ‘bugs’ the life cycle is based on three stages, (egg / nymph / adult). The eggs are laid on grass stems, and the nymphs live largely out of sight, feeding on roots. As the nymphs grow, they moult several times, appearing as winged adults after the final moult. The adults can be seen throughout the spring and summer months.The bold colour pattern of this insect may help to deter potential predators or parasites. Failing that, the ability to hop out of trouble comes into play and this must be a highly effective escape mechanism. Human observers, merely trying to get a closer look, are often frustrated by the ability of the insect to disappear in one or more dramatic hops.

The species is found in rank areas, such as woodland rides, pond or river margins or anywhere else that is not too heavily grazed. It is a reasonably common species in North Wales, but as the map below shows, most of Cofnod’s records are from North East Wales. Cercopis vulnerata probably occurs right across the region and we would like to confirm this with actual sightings. Please submit your records, ideally with photos, to the Cofnod ORS or the LERC Wales App.