Spotted Lanternfly
Lycorma delicatula
Summary 6
The spotted lanternfly or Lycorma delicatula (order Hemiptera, family Fulgoridae) is a planthopper native to China, India, and Vietnam. Although it has two pairs of wings, it jumps more than it flies. Its host plants are grapes, pines, stone fruits, and Malus spp. In its native habitat it is kept in check by natural predators or pathogens. It was accidentally introduced in Korea in 2006 and is since considered a pest. In September 2014, it was...
Description 7
The spotted lanternfly is originally native to parts of China, India, Vietnam, and eastern Asia. It is a one-inch-long and half-inch wide planthopper belonging to the family of the fulgorid insects. The lantern analogy stems from the inflated front portion of the head, which was thought to be luminous. It was first described by Adam White in 1845 as Aphaena delicatula with habitat outside of Nankin, China.
Adult lantern flies have a black head and grayish wings adorned with the name-giving black spots, and their bodies seem to glow red. Their wing tips have a pattern that looks as if they are covered with tiny black bricks with grey mortar in between. In flight, the spotted lantern fly displays red hind wings with black spots on the proximal third, a white wedge in the middle of the wing, and a solid black wing tip. The abdomen is yellowish with black and white bands on the top and bottom.
The lanternfly is a strong jumper; it hops from location to location more than it flies. In Chinese medicine, the spotted lanternfly is considered to be poisonous, and is used topically for relief from swelling. It feeds on woody plants and nonwoody plants, piercing the phloem tissue of foliage and young stems with its specialized mouthparts, and sucking the sap. The sugary fluid leaks and coats leaves and stems, and this can encourage mold growth. It does not eat the fruit or the leaves per se.
The lantern fly has a wide host range. Innumerable host plants are known, including grapes, pines, the Rosaceae with stone fruits, and apple species.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Kim, Hyun-tae, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kim, Hyun-tae
- (c) donald_mcmunn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/23425055@N06/2235311687/
- (c) Damon Tighe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Damon Tighe
- (c) Javier, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Javier
- (c) donald_mcmunn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/23425055@N06/2841054371/
- Adapted by Will Kuhn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycorma_delicatula
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_lanternfly
