2mm looks like a walking shrimp
March 10, 2010
Hi, this was on my computer monitor, it didnt’ jump or fly, just walked. looks kinda like a shrimp, with a brushy tale. also looks like the monster from The Host (Korean film).
To Daniel, from the bug experts.
Melbourne, Australia

Planthopper Nymph

Dear Daniel,
This is some species of Planthopper nymph and we cannot even be certain of the family.  The Brisbane Insect website has a photo listed as unidentified that is very close to your specimen.

i need to find out what kind of insect this is and its classification in detail please asap!
March 3, 2010
Hi, I am trying to identify this insect for my professor and I have been unsuccessful so far. I am going to upload a picture of the insect and hope that you can help me …..please let me know asap thank you
meagan orendorff
tree

Oak Treehoppers

Ed. Note: Meagan did not indicate if her urgent need was personal or if a grade is involved for Professor Adams’ class as his name is listed as the file name for the image.  Typically, we respond to queries directly as well as posting to our website, but in this instance, we want to bypass the personal response in the hope that Meagan will return to our site where she can find the answer.  We are amused that “tree” was used to identify the location, while we typically receive a state or country in that field of our form.  These are Oak Treehoppers, Platycotis vittata, and according to BugGuide:  “Its Nearctic range is in a horseshoe shape, taking in the mid-Atlantic states, the southeastern states, the Deep South, Arizona, California, and Oregon. Present in some midwestern states such as Ohio, but lacking in the Plains states and Rockies. The species has been reported from Vancouver Island in Canada. It has also been reported from Mexico and Brazil.“ BugGuide also indicates it “Does almost no damage to the host trees—leaves only a few twig scars from oviposition.”

Orange (Black-winged) Leaf Sucking Insect?
February 19, 2010
Hi Bugman,
I found this interesting insect under a leaf and it doesn’t seem to be bothered by me getting close and taking pictures of it. It has long black wings that form a V shape (perpendicular to the body).

Derbid Planthopper

It seemed that it was busy sucking on a leaf… with it’s mouth (or snout) stuck in the vein of the leaf.
I tried searching the whatsthatbug or the net, and I don’t know if I hit the correct key words to get any good search results..
Thanks a lot for your help!
zybertooth
Singapore

Derbid Planthopper

Dear zybertooth,
At first we thought this was some species of Fly in the order Diptera, but now we believe it is a Planthopper in the superfamily Fulgoroidea.  It resembles one North American species pictured on BugGuide.  We have not had any luck matching your amazing photos to anything posted online, but we will enlist the assistance of our readership on this identification.  We will also contact Eric Eaton to see if he concurs that it is a Planthopper, or if he can confirm our original suspicion that it might be a Fly.

Derbid Planthopper

Eric Eaton Agrees
Planthopper, definitely.  Lois O’Brien would know, of course.  Maybe Derbidae?
Cool image!
Eric

Hi Bugman,
I just found out from a friend who’s a nature enthusiast that this is a Derbid Bug.
FYI,
zybertooth

An Australian Grub?
February 5, 2010
Hello Bugman, it’s funny, just as you identified my Palm Planthopper, I came across another mystery on my walk. It’s about half an inch in length, and looks a bit like a cross between a pillbug anf a colourful grub.
PS. I contacted Dr Fletcher from Orange Agricultural Institute about the Planthopper, and as a consequence he added my photo of it to their website:
“Lovely pictures of Magia subocellata (Family Lophopidae). This species (and one other species of Magia) is native to North Queensland. It was found a couple of years ago in the tropical palm collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney and may well have spread to your area from there.”
http://www1.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/fulgor/species/magiasub.html
Ridou Ridou
Sydney, Australia

Giant Scale Insect

Hi again Ridou Ridou,
We didn’t do quite as well with this submission.  We are nearly certain this is a Caterpillar in the family Limacodidae, which in the U.S. are known as Slug Caterpillars.  Many of them have stinging spines.  The Brisbane Insect website, which has a few species posted, though none resemble your example, indicates they are called Cup Moths because of the shape of their cocoons, and the caterpillars that sting are known as Spitfires, our new favorite insect name.  Your individual is most probably not one of the stinging species.

Giant Scale Insect

Eric Eaton Disagrees
Daniel:
I’m thinking the “cup moth caterpillar” from Australia is actually some kind of giant scale insect, but I have no idea which one.  I could also be totally wrong, but I think it is worth checking into.
Eric

Thanks Eric,
WE will research this tomorrow.

Giant Scale Insect

Don’t have a clue where to start with this one
January 31, 2010
Hi,
I haven’t got a clue what this is. I took the shot in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica.
Thanks
Miles
Costa Rica, Caribeean coast

Planthopper

Hi again Miles,
This is a Freeliving Hemipteran in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, and probably in the superfamily Fulgoroidea.  It may be one of the Issid Planthoppers in the family Issidae or perhaps a Cixiid Planthopper in the family Cixiidae.  Though they are not your of species, we have linked to some photos on BugGuide that look similar enough to have made the general identification we provided.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a species identification.

Karl finds some information
Hi Daniel and Miles:
This looks like a Net-winged Hopper in the family Nogodinidae, a relatively small group of planthoppers that are quite similar to the Issidae, of which they are sometimes considered to be a subfamily. It is difficult to find much information about the group, but there are several photos identified as Biolleyana costalis and Biolleyana sp. posted on Flickr that look more or less identical. The Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana provides very similar illustrations under the older synonym, Sassula costalis. Regards.
Karl

Costa Rican Hopper? Crazy looking ‘nose.’
January 22, 2010
Walking through the primary forest in NE Costa Rica near Rio La Suerte, I stumbled across this beauty on on the bole of a tree. Being in the tropics I unfortunately couldn’t identify the tree, but it had a very smooth bole and according to a local these bugs frequent this particular tree. I’m guessing it’s some sort of hopper/spittlebug or something of the sort, the nose is so unusual, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Mike Cleveland
North Eastern Costa Rica

Fulgorid Planthopper

Hi Mike,
This is a Fulgorid Planthopper in the family Fulgoridae.  In attempting to locate information on Costa Rican species, we stumbled upon a technical paper coauthored by Piotr Naskrecki who often assists us in the identification of Katydids.  We will contact him to see if he recognizes your species.

Instant Gratification thanks to Piotr Naskrecki
Hi Daniel,
I know this species very well. It is Phrictus quinquepartitus, a beautiful
species found in the lowland forests of Central America, often on Peruvian
almond (Terminalia oblonga).
Cheers,
Piotr