''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to 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 & Servi ...

, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''

Philaenus spumarius ''Philaenus spumarius'', the meadow froghopper or meadow spittlebug, is a species of insect belonging to the spittlebug family Aphrophoridae. In Italy and America, it is economically important as one of the Vector (epidemiology), vectors of Pier ...

'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. It is important to science because its entire

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ...

has been

sequenced In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succi ...

. It has also been the subject of many studies of genetic diversity because it displays marked color

polymorphism Polymorphism, polymorphic, polymorph, polymorphous, or polymorphy may refer to: Computing * Polymorphism (computer science), the ability in programming to present the same programming interface for differing underlying forms * Ad hoc polymorphis ...

. There are sixteen color

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological prop ...

s, with individuals taking various dark, pale, mottled, and striped patterns. Most other ''Philaenus'' species are also color polymorphic. Many species are polyphagous, feeding on a number of plants. Some species specialize on one host plant, the

common asphodel Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

(''Asphodelus aestivus'').Maryańska-Nadachowska, A., et al. (2013)
Chromosomal location of rDNA clusters and TTAGG telomeric repeats in eight species of the spittlebug genus ''Philaenus'' (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Aphrophoridae).
''European Journal of Entomology'', 110(3), 411-418. There are eight species in the genus.Maryańska-Nadachowska, A., Kuznetsova, V. G., & Abdul-Nour, H. (2008)
A chromosomal study on a Lebanese spittlebug ''Philaenus arslani'' (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Aphrophoridae).
''European Journal of Entomology'', 105(2), 205. * ''

Philaenus arslani ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

Philaenus italosignus ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

Philaenus loukasi ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

Philaenus maghresignus ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

Philaenus signatus ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

'' – meadow spittlebug * ''

Philaenus tarifa ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

'' * ''

Philaenus tesselatus ''Philaenus'' is a genus of insects belonging to the family Aphrophoridae, the spittlebugs. The meadow spittlebug ''Philaenus spumarius'' is a common insect in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is sometimes a pest on crops such as alfalfa. ...

References

Hemiptera of Europe Aphrophoridae Auchenorrhyncha genera Taxa named by Carl Stål {{auchenorrhyncha-stub