''Ptyelus grossus'' is an

Auchenorrhyncha The Auchenorrhyncha suborder of the Hemiptera contains most of the familiar members of what was called the "Homoptera" – groups such as cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, and spittlebugs. The aphids and scale insects are the othe ...

spittlebug The Aphrophoridae or spittlebugs are a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera. There are at least 160 genera and 990 described species in Aphrophoridae. European genera * '' Aphrophora'' Germar 1821 * '' Lepyronia'' Amyot & Servil ...

in the family

Aphrophoridae The Aphrophoridae or spittlebugs are a family of insects belonging to the order Hemiptera. There are at least 160 genera and 990 described species in Aphrophoridae. European genera * ''Aphrophora'' Germar 1821 * '' Lepyronia'' Amyot & Servill ...

. Occurring from

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

through to

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

, the species is gregarious in its larval and nymph stages, feeding on a variety of plants, and producing protective nests of acrid foam from the plant's sap. Excreted in large quantities, the foam drips incessantly causing wet patches on the soil below. Adults have slate-grey wings, each wing with two white and yellow patches near the outer margin. The head is white, rounded with large dark eyes and small black and yellow marks on the forehead. Favoured trees are '' Tipuana'', '' Peltophorum'' and ''

Lonchocarpus ''Lonchocarpus'' is a plant genus in the legume family ( Fabaceae). The species are called lancepods due to their fruit resembling an ornate lance tip or a few beads on a string. ''Cubé'' resin is produced from the roots of '' L. urucu'' an ...

'', although its catholic diet includes species of ''

Grevillea ''Grevillea'', commonly known as spider flowers, is a genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the family Proteaceae. Plants in the genus ''Grevillea'' are shrubs, rarely trees, with the leaves arranged alternately along the b ...

'', '' Rhus'', '' Acacia'', ''

Vangueria ''Vangueria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus is named for , as '' V. madagascariensis'' is known in Malagasy. Distribution The genus contains over 50 species distributed in Africa south of the Sahara with one ...

'' and even ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

''. Nymphs are preyed upon by the gorytine wasp '' Pseudoplisus natalensis'', the drosophilid fly '' Leucophenga maculata'' and other carnivorous insects.

Gallery

Spittlebug02.jpg, Spittlebug01.jpg, Aphrophoridae Insects of Africa Insects described in 1781 {{Auchenorrhyncha-stub