Subject: pink and yellow treehopper? fly? moth?
Location: Ashland, Virginia
July 30, 2013 10:59 am
hi bugman, I found this pretty, showy little fly on a basil leaf and have had very little luck figuring out what it could be. I searched a number of different keywords but with no true match. it has similar traits to a number of flying insects, mainly it looked like a treehopper to me, but also a bit like a moth. I’m not an expert by any means but feel i have a basic gardeners knowledge of insects in the area; yet this dude left me totally stumped. I love the beautiful deep magenta on the wings and below the head. any ideas?
Signature: kasey
Hi Kasey,
The Broadheaded Sharpshooter, Oncometopia orbona, does not always have this lovely magenta coloration, but there is a matching image on BugGuide that illustrates the magenta form.
thank you! I wouldn’t have even known to search for that term. how interesting!