Colorful Insect
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
March 17, 2011 1:38 am
It’s the second time I see one of those around the house. I’ve been told it usually lives in rice field and it’s just a grasshopper… But I don’t quite believe it.
Signature: Jean-Luc
Lanternfly
Dear Jean-Luc,
We wish we had more time to write about this Lanternfly, but we are already running dangerously late this morning.
ID for yesterday’s lanternfly
March 18, 2011 3:05 pm
The “Lanternfly from Thailand” posted yesterday is probably Fulgora candelaria. Searching Google Images yields a number of extremely similar pictures.
Signature: W. Randy Hoffman
Thanks W. Randy,
Pyrops candelarius brings up matching photos as well.
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¶ Posted 17 March 2011 § ‡ ° Tiny White Insect
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
March 14, 2011 4:21 am
Hi, found this relaxing on a succulent plant on a hot day here in Melbourne, Australia… season is Autumn, would you happen to know what this is?
Thank you.
Signature: A.L
Green Planthopper Nymph
Dear A.L.,
We tried browsing through all the postings of Leafhoppers, Treehoppers and Planthoppers in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha that are available on the Brisbane Insect website, but alas, we have not had any luck identifying your immature Hemipteran nymph. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide a more specific identification.
Hi Daniel and A.L.:
I believe this is a Flatid Planthopper (Flatidae: Flatinae) in the predominantly Australian genus Siphanta. It looks very similar to several online images identified as S. acuta, however, there are at least 40 Australian species in the genus and some of them probably have similar looking nymphs. There is also some color variability among nymphs to complicate things further. Nevertheless, S. acuta appears to be the most common species and it has become a bit of a globetrotter as well, with records from New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, Hawaii and mainland USA (California and possibly other states). The common name in Australia and New Zealand is the Green Planthopper, while in the USA it is referred to as the Torpedo Bug. It is considered an agricultural and forest pest in most places where it occurs. The species arrived in Hawaii in the late nineteenth century where it did considerable damage to native trees until it was brought under control in the early twentieth century with the introduction of the Australian egg parasitizing wasp, Aphanomerus puscillus (Scelionidae). Regards. Karl
Thanks for this one especially Karl. I really wanted to put a name to this hieroglyphically marked creature.
1
what flying insect is it?
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
March 8, 2011 12:47 am
I don’t know what is it, it is a little bigger than mosquito. can you tell me what is it?
Signature: daisugi, Indonesia
Derbid Planthopper
Dear daisugi,
This is a Derbid Planthopper in the family Derbidae. BugGuide, a website dedicated to the identification of North American insects, credits Andy Hamilton with this statement: “Nymphs of Derbidae feed on fungi. Adults just seem to hang around on vegetation waiting on others passing by.” Previous submissions to our website of this obscure family have been from Singapore, Australia and Ohio in the USA.
Derbid Planthopper
¶ Posted 08 March 2011 § ‡ ° Lantern Bug from Borneo
Location: Poring Hot Springs, Sabah, Borneo
February 9, 2011 3:35 am
I believe this Lantern Bug seen in Sabah, Borneo, is a Fulgora sp., but can anyone tell me which species?
Signature: Peter Bruce-Jones
Lanternfly
Hi Peter,
We did a search for Lanternfly and Borneo and found a beautiful, rather similar looking insect on the Lost Borneo website that is identified as the genus Pyrops. An image web search of that name brought us to a photo on Flickriver that is identified as Pyrops whiteheadi. We cannot say for certain that that is correct because we do not have a background in entomology, and we know that there is a proliferation of misinformation on the internet. We are constantly misidentifying some of the photos that we post.
Hi Daniel,
Thank you. I agree wholeheartedly with your point about misinformation on the internet, but I have managed to find some other images of Pyrops whiteheadi which match the one in the link you sent and my image, so I think it is most likely correct. The search has also yielded the the unexpected ID for a mantis I photographed in Borneo too, so doubly thanks!
Best regards,
Peter
¶ Posted 09 February 2011 § ‡ ° Lantern bug from Peru
Location: Shima, near Satipo, Junin, Peru
February 5, 2011 2:47 pm
Can you please help me to identify this lantern bug found in central Peru?
Signature: Peter Bruce-Jones
Lantern Bug
Hi Peter,
The Planthopper Superfamily Fulgoroidea includes the Lanternflies, but we are not certain if your individual is in that family. The Free-Living Hemipterans are a real taxonomic challenge. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to supply a species identification for you.
Lantern Bug
Identification Courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Peter:
It’s a classic case of misdirection. The relatively large false eye at the rear end and the tapered head give the impression that the bug is facing in the opposite direction. With luck, a would-be predator will attack the wrong end allowing the bug to escape in the opposite direction. The aptly named False-eye Lantern Bug (Fulgoridae: Odontoptera carrenoi) ranges from Central America to Amazonia, Regards. Karl
¶ Posted 06 February 2011 § ‡ ° Treehopper from Peru
Location: Shima, near Satipo, Junin, Peru
February 5, 2011 2:43 pm
Can anyone please identify this treehopper found in central Peru?
Signature: Peter Bruce-Jones
Treehopper
Hi Peter,
This is one beautiful Treehopper in the family Membracidae. We have a vague memory of having received an image of this species, or a very similar species, in the past. We will attempt to search our archive to provide a species identification. Just a note that if you provide a comment on this posting, you will be notified in the future if anyone comments or provides an identification. We did locate a matching photo on Corbis Images, but the species is not identified.
3
Unknown bugs
Location: Rio Pindayo, near Curimana, Ucayali, Peru
February 5, 2011 2:51 am
Can anyone please help to identify these bugs seen in Peru?
Signature: Peter Bruce-Jones
Treehoppers
Hi Peter,
We believe that these are Treehoppers in the family Membracidae, though we would not rule out that they are Free Living Hemipterans in another family. We will work more on a species identification for you. It appears as though the individual in the upper left corner is giving live birth to a nymph. Many Hemipterans, including Aphids, are able to reproduce asexually, with females producing genetic clones of themselves without the need for a male of the species.
¶ Posted 05 February 2011 § ‡ ° Tiny green striped bug with puffed out tail
Location: Suburbs, Pretoria, South Africa
January 30, 2011 3:08 am
We’ve seen quite a lot of these in our back yard in Pretoria, South Africa. They are tiny, and their tails can puff out. They can jump quite far. They tend to be on their own (not in groups). Difficult to describe them, as you’ll see by the photos!
Signature: Sophia
Planthopper Nymph
Hi Sophia,
This is a Planthopper Nymph in the superfamily Fulgoroidea. You can see many examples of North American Planthopper Nymphs by browsing through the images on BugGuide. We were not able to find a close match on the Brisbane Insect Website, however, one unidentified Planthopper Nymph looks somewhat similar.
4
¶ Posted 30 January 2011 § ‡ ° 
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