Subject: Unidentified Beetle
Location: Northern edge of Pottstown, PA
July 16, 2017 9:47 am
Sort of a weevil shaped insect, bright red/orange and black with bright white spots on body and legs.
I’ve never seen one of these before, and can’t find one on the web searching several sites. Do you know what it is? Since I can’t find it in searches, wondering if it’s an introduced species. Found it on our deck post afternoon of July 15, 2017. My property has a small woods on two sides.
Signature: Olin Mittan
Immature Spotted Lanternfly
Dear Olin,
This is not a good sighting. Years ago we identified this Asian creature as an immature White Cicada, and upon searching BugGuide records, we learned it is called a Spotted Lanternfly and “native to China, India, Japan and Vietnam; invasive in Korea and in our area (PA; confirmed in Berks Co. Sep 2014)” and “SIGHTING REPORTS WANTED: Experts are working to delimit the current population and find new infestations of this species. Please report sightings on the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture website.”
Immature Spotted Lanternfly
Thanks for the quick response. It turns out that the spotted lanternfly is known to exist in my township, and I was simply unaware. We are instructed simply to kill any we encounter, but I reported it none the less.
Had it now been for your site, and response, I would still be unaware of the threat.
Thanks again for your help.
Olin Mittan
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