Common Froghopper
Common Froghopper
Invertebrate
The common froghopper is the champion high-jumper of the insect world, leaping over a hundred times its own body length — and its young are the makers of 'cuckoo spit'.
💡 Fun Facts
- A froghopper can leap over 100 times its own body length into the air.
- For its size, that just beats the flea, making it the champion insect high-jumper.
- As it takes off, it speeds up with a force of about 400 times gravity.
Name Story
Philaenus spumarius
means “the frothy one”
likely meaningThe 'foamy' meaning and its link to cuckoo spit are clear, but the meaning of the first word, Philaenus, has been lost.
What does its name mean?
- Philaenus — an old Greek word whose meaning is no longer clearGreek (uncertain)
- spumarius — foamy, frothyLatin spuma 'foam'
- froghopper — for its frog-like face and powerful hopEnglish
The second half of its name means 'foamy' — and that is just what its young make: the blobs of white froth on plants that we call 'cuckoo spit'. The first half is an old Greek word that no one can now explain.