If you live in the northeast United States, then you’ve probably seen or at least heard of these guys. The Spotted Lanternfly. Or Lycorma delicatula.
They’ve been rapidly expanding and growing in population and while their presence is too new to know the exact impact they have on our native flora, they seem to pose a major threat to the apple and grape industries. They also excrete a honeydew that leads to mold growth on the plants they feed on.
So the states have put out this message to the public: “If you see it, smush it.”
And while I understand the need to be ruthless in invasive species response, I hope that people aren’t associating all lanternflies with this “bad bug” label.
So right now I’d like to showcase some cool/interesting species of lanternflies (the family name is Fulgoridae) in their native habitats :)
Peanut-Headed Lanternfly (Fulgora laternaria)
No Common Name (Phrictus diadema)
Malagasy Lantern Bug (Zanna madagascariensis)
No Common Name (Pyrops delessertii)
No Common Name (Kalidaysa lanata)
No Common Name (Pyrops intricatus)
Wax-Tailed Planthopper (Lystra lanata)
Fulgoridae has over 500 species making it a fairly large hemipteran family, please go on a Wikipedia dive to look at all of them. Happy bugging :))
