Carystoterpa fingens, commonly known as the variegated spittlebug, is a spittlebug of the family Aphrophoridae.[1] It is endemic to New Zealand.
C. fingens was first described by Francis Walker in 1851 using a specimen collected by William Colenso and was originally named Ptyelus fingens.[2] In 1966 John William Evans placed this species in the genus Carystoterpa.[3] The lectotype specimen, assumed to have been collected in the Auckland vicinity by Colenso, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
Walker originally described this species as follows:C. fingens is very variable in appearance.
C. fingens is endemic to New Zealand.[4] The species has been observed in the North, South and Stewart Islands as well as many of the off shore islands of New Zealand.[5]
This species tends to inhabit coastal localities.
The adults of this species feed on a variety of plant species including species in the genus Hieracium and grape leaves (Vitis vinifera Sauvignon blanc).[6] Individuals of C. fingens fed on all four potential host plants studied in a controlled experiment, including Hebe pubescens, Arthropodium cirratum, Dietes bicolor and Brassica oleracea.[7]
C. fingens is regarded by New Zealand's Ministry of Primary Industries as a likely vector of Xylella, a serious bacterial disease that is fatal to grape vines.[8]