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Lanternfly from Borneo
(04/24/2008) Some bugs from Sabah
Hi
Another delighted newcomer to your site! I took these
photos in Sabah, Borneo in Feb this year and from going through
your site I think they might be a lanternfly and a snakefly,
but it would be good if you knew the species.
Amanda, England
Hi Amanda,
Your Lanternfly from the family Fulgoridae is positively stunning. If we are able
(since we have time constraints right now) we will also post
your photo of a Dobsonfly. We will try to find out the species, but we don't think this will be possible without hours and hours of research, and that is time we do not have.
Exact Internet identification research is often very difficult for parts of the
tropical world.
Lanternfly from Thailand
(04/11/2008) can you tell me the name of this one
Hi I saw this in Thailand and wanted to know its name . sorry
the photos arnt very good
Thanks Bruce
Hi Bruce,
Your very blurry insect is a Lanternfly.
Oak Treehopper
(04/08/2008) Insect ID
Can you help us ID this insect? We found it in our driveway
in Ormond Beach, FL. We live about 8 miles from the beach
in a neighborhood with lots of live oak trees. We've done
lots of looking on "bug websites" with no luck.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Laura Pugliese
Hi Laura,
This is an Oak
Treehopper, Platycotis vittata. This was a new species
for our site yesterday when we identified a group of nymphs
sent from California. Your photo depicts the winged adult.
Oak
Treehopper Nymphs
(04/07/2008) Help me identify this bug...
Hello - I have searched desperately all over the web to identify
this bug infesting my 160 year old oak tree in my back yard.
Can you help? Thanks so much,
Rena Lowry
Rocklin CA
Hi Rena,
These are Oak
Treehopper Nymphs, Platycotis vittata. Amazingly, according
to BugGuide,
the species: "Does almost no damage to the host trees—leaves
only a few twig scars from oviposition." Also amazingly, we
believe we got a photo of an adult from Florida today as well.
Unknown Planthopper from Australia
(03/24/2008) Mysterious Bug
I wondered if you could help ID this bug for me. I am located
near Cairns, FNQ, Australia. I have seen these in sedge grass
near a local pond. They always have their wings in this position.
I suspect they may be some kind of Cicada but have been unable
to ID it so far.
Andy MacDougall
 
Hi Andy,
We solicited the help of Eric Eaton, and he wrote: "Fulgoroidea
(planthoppers) that I don't recognize more specifically!."
Coincidentally, your photos were also sent to us by a member
of a photography forun where you must have posted the images.
The other email also contained view from above that was not
among the images you sent.
Update: (03/25/2008)
Unknown planthopper from Australia
Hi Daniel,
The insect might be a member of the Derbidae family, which
live in the tropics and According to the CSIRO "The Insects
of Australia" they include the Zoraida: "The body of the Zoraida
is very short, but the wings exceedingly long and narrow."
www.ne.jp/asahi/rhyncha/index/samE/dbrisam.html
Regards,
Grev
Ricaniid Planthoppers: Passionvine Hopper
(02/22/2008) Identification of a sapsucker
Hi, This was spotted in New Zealand in large numbers on grapevines,
olives and native vegetation (all along the edge of pines).
It appears to be sap-sucking on vigorous and mature tissue
-- honeydew present, bees attracted. Its wings have
4 bits to them. Could not visibly see any sucking mouthparts
with the naked eye. Very docile but hop with force when
disturbed. Wings lay flat, not erect. Bodyshape
reminiscent of leafhopper but wings are throwing me off -
much more moth-like. Maximum dimension 1/2 inch square.
Any clues appreciated!
Cheers
These are Planthoppers as you originally suspected. We
located the Ricaniid
Planthoppers on the Geocities website, and believe this
might be the Passionvine
Hopper, Scolypopa australis. We found a website
that states: "Scolypopa australis ... remains as the only
ricaniid recorded in New Zealand" as well as: "This species
builds up into huge populations on passion vines and kiwifruit
vines causing heavy deposits of 'honeydew'. This leads to
the growth of sooty moulds which impair the marketability
of the fruit."
Woolly Aphid
(12/30/2007) Hey there.
We found this “blue fly with a fur coat” flying
around our yard. Any idea what it might be? We live
in Chelsea, Québec ,Canada. Love your site! It’s
super useful. Thanks for your help,
Celine & Marc
Hi Celine and Marc,
This is a Woolly Aphid in the genus Eriosoma. The winged ones
are males.
Immature Planthoppers
(12/26/2007) Weird things in my yard
I posted these to my facebook account months ago and none
of my friends have any idea what these things are. They disappeared
as mysteriously as they appeared.
Gaspare Maggio
Hi Gaspare,
You didn't tell us where your yard is, which might help in
an accurate identification. You may be in Italy, or you may
be in Australia, or you may be in Canada. We just don't know.
This is a Fulgorid Planthopper. Your photo lacks critical
detail for an exact species identification, but it does seem
to resemble a photo posted to BugGuide of an immature Acanalonia
bivittata, the Two Striped Planthopper.
Unknown
Fulgorid Planthopper from Panama
(12/25/2007) Giant Panamanian Leafhopper
Bugman,
Merry Christmas! I know it is the holiday and all, but your
website has been like a Christmas present to me. So many beautiful,
weird, and interesting things! And I greatly appreciate the
attitude of enjoying them simply for their own sake, and not
destroying them. Attached is a photo I took along the Pipeline
Road in November 2007. It is about 2-inches long and looks
like a leafhopper to me. It had this fuzzy stuff trailing
along that appeared to be attached to the abdomen. Odd bug.
Any ideas? Thanks!
Allen Chartier
Hi again Allen,
This is one of the wax producing Fulgorid Planthoppers in
the family Fulgoridae. Sorry we are unable to exactly identify
the species. We received another example of this species from
Costa Rica in February of this year, but were unable to properly
identify it.
Unknown:
Hemipteran is in family Derbidae
(12/23/2007) I love this website
Thanks for past & future ID's. This insect no bigger
than 3rd of an inch on the side of my car at my farm in Brown
Co, OH 06-17=07. No person or book has been able to
tell me yet.
Mary Jo White
Hi Mary Jo,
We believe this is some species of Psillid or some other Hemipteran.
We have contacted Eric Eaton and have confidence he will be
able to assist in the identification.
Hi, Daniel:
Happy holidays to you, too! The insect in the image is a plant
bug in the family Derbidae, and the genus Anotia. Might be
the species Anotia bonnetii, with images on the Bugguide
website, but I'm certainly no expert in that obscure family:-)
I can't even tell you anything about their biology, sorry.
Very nice image submitted to you, though.
Eric
Male
Woolly Aphid
(11/08/2007) Fly?
Hello,
There are lots of these little guys flying around my home
in Haliburton ON. Hoping you can tell me a little bit
about them. Thanks,
Jamie
 
Hi Jamie,
We can tell you this is not a fly as it has four wings and
flies have but two. Maybe it is one of the Microlepidoptera.
We are going to check with Eric Eaton and Julian Donahue to
see if either can identify the family, genus or species.
Three Corrections: (11/09/2007)
Daniel:
Hahahahahaha! It fooled you:-) The images are of an aphid,
probably one of the woolly aphids. They are dispersing now
to alternate host plants where they will overwinter.
Eric
Microlepidoptera--Not! This is a male homopteran. My best
shot is a Woolly Aphid, family Eriosomatidae. That's the closest
I can key it out from the photo--thank goodness the wing venation
is clearly visible, as it fits this family perfectly.
Julian
Hello,
I am only a ninth grader, so I don't claim to know much, but
I think that the mystery microlepidoptera is actually a woolly
apple aphid (Aphididae// //Eriosoma). I live in Wisconsin,
and we have many of these little critters flying around our
crab apples. They don't seem to harm our trees much, but I
have noticed that in late summer in the evening they will
fly off the trees and "hover" in the air until dark. Another
thing about the woolly aphids is that their "wool" will rub
off if you try to catch them, which may be why this bug is
not so furry. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful
site and advocating the wonderful world of bugs, it is definitely
one of my favorite web pages-it is amazing. I hope I was of
some help, if I am correct about this insect.
Amy
Fellow Bug Lover from La Crosse
Peanut Headed Lanternfly from Mexico
(10/06/2007) Bug on a leash
Hi bugman. Some of my friends went to Mexico this summer.
They brought me these pictures of this weird bug. It was on
a leash! What kind of bug is this? Thanks,
Francesco Saverio
Hi Francesco,
This is a Peanut Headed Lanternfly, Fulgora lanternaria, which
is found in the Central and South American tropics. According
to Wikipedia,
this insect, known as the Machaca in the Amazon, has a very
interesting superstition surrounding it: "In several countries,
such as Ecuador ,Colombia and Venezuela , there exists the
myth that if somebody is bitten by the machaca , he or she
must have sex within 24 hours to prevent an otherwise incurable
death. The insect is actually harmless to people."
Wattle Hopper from Australia???? We're not sure since
Nick never provided a location!!!
(09/11/2007) Hi I have a bug!
Hi
These bugs seem to be everywhere at certain times of the year
around the backyeard of our garden. As you can see they have
two horn-like things on their backs. They're about 1cm long
or less and when un-disturbed they lay their 'horns' out flat
behind them. I'm starting to think they may use them to jump.
And yes, they jump. This one jumped an easy 1.5m when i scared
it, others have jumped from the ground up onto the table and
they all do it with amazing accuracy. When they jump they
make a little 'click' sound. Also, they spend a lot of time
walking around slowly, and when disturbed they like to walk
sideways like a crab, nervously edging along before jumping
if you startle them. I don't mind them but they do freak you
out occasionally when they jump, but more importantly i'd
like to know if they are good or bad for the garden. Thanks!
Nick
Hi Nick,
Your otherwise thorough letter did not provide us with a location,
which would have been very helpful. We are guessing you are
from Australia and that these are probably immature Wattle
Hoppers in the family Eurybrachyidae.
They have sucking mouthparts and suck the sap from wattle
trees, as acacia are known in Australia.
Hey thanks! You ended almost a decade of mystery. The bugs
are from Sydney, Australia, i had to rewrite the email because
of a mis-click and forgot to include the location the second
time. Thanks again,
Nick
Candystriped Leafhopper
(09/08/2007) leafhopper
I thought this was a good pic and your site says send one
if you have a better one.
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
The Candystriped Leafhopper, or Red Banded Leafhopper, Graphocephala
coccinea, is such a beautiful insect. It is a shame it is
so injurious to plants.
Cerogenes auricoma from Honduras
(08/09/2007) A fairy in the woods? What on earth...
Greetings,
I am a Peace Corp volunteer in Honduras and while wondering
through the woods near my site a couple of weeks ago
I thought I found the secret enchanted forests where fairies
lived! Seriously though I have never seen anything like this.
At first my partner and I beleived it was some type of bird,
but up close you can see its wings and everything. It flys
very slow, almost like floating in the air. I looked a little
bit through your guyses catalog of bugs I have no idea
where to even begin when looking up this beast. The only
thing I have an idea of is that it flys, and looks incredibly
soft like little feathers come out of it. It is an amazing
animal. Any help on the name so I can do some research
on this bad boy would be wonderful! Thanks.
Cliff Rosson
 
Hi Cliff,
Your letter is the third request we have received in the last
month to identify Cerogenes auricoma, a Fulgorid Planthopper.
We got the answer through Eric Eaton whot wrote: "thanks to
the world authority, Lois O'Brien. She says it is Cerogenes
auricoma. No common name, but the Latin translates to "wax
producer with golden hair." Seems appropriate. Apparently
the native Indians use the yellow wax on the head and thorax
of this insect to make a dye."
Sumac Galls
(08/08/2007) What is it?
Mr. Bug Man,
Very cool website. Hope you can help. We have some Sumac trees
in our backyard and some of them have these ‘sacks’
on them. They are attached to a leaf and seem to be feeding
off of it. They are seemingly air tight, when you squeeze
gently they are like a miniature air pillow. When taken apart
there is a small cotton ball inside that is very air born
and there are what look like seeds or eggs, yellowish in color,
many of them. The sacks are various sizes and some are turning
red like an apple would. Sure would appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you,
Doug Cornelius
Deansboro, NY
 
Hi Doug,
These are Sumac Galls. According to BugGuide,
the galls contain Aphid Colonies.
Twice Stabbed Ladybird Beetles: feeding on Scale Insects
on Bamboo
(08/01/2007) bamboo bugs
Saw these on a trip to Miami. One looks like some kind of
ladybug.
Robbie
Hi again Robbie,
This is a Twice Stabbed Ladybird Beetle, Chilocorus stigma.
Your wonderful photo shows three stages of its metamorphosis.
From left to right are the adult, the pupa and the spiny larva.
We found a photo on BugGuide,
also from Florida, that shows the Twice Stabbed Ladybird feeding
on Scale Insects that are feeding on bamboo. If you look closely,
you can see the Scale Insects that resemble little bumps on
the bamboo stalk.
Fulgorid Planthoppers from Honduras
(07/23/2007) We live in the mountains of Honduras, and we
frequently see these in groups on certain types of trees.
Generally, there is also a cloud of them flying overhead,
near the tree. The body of the bug is around 2 - 3" long.
Thanks so much for any identification help you can
give us!
Trish Sowers
Gracias Lempira, Honduras
Hi Trish,
We just received an amazing close-up of this Fulgorid Planthopper.
Eric Eaton had it correctly identified by Lois O'Brien as
Cerogenes auricoma.
IDENTIFIED:
Unknown [probably] Fulgorid Planthopper from Belize
(07/14/2007) what the heck is this bug
We discovered this insect in Belize. It is approximately 10
centimeters long and we are fairly certain that it is a member
of the order Homonoptera. Can you help us? Thank you so much,
Yeray
Hi Veray,
That is a big insect. We believe it is one of the Fulgorid
Planthoppers, but we would love to get you a positive identification.
Identification: (07/20/2007)
Daniel: You are most welcome. Hey, I finally have an answer
on the fulgorid, thanks to the world authority, Lois O'Brien.
She says it is Cerogenes auricoma. No common name, but the
Latin translates to "wax producer with golden hair." Seems
appropriate. Apparently the native Indians use the yellow
wax on the head and thorax of this insect to make a dye.
Eric
Cochineal Scale
(07/03/2007) what is this and how to control it
hi Bugman, I live in San Bernardino, CA, about an hour east
of LA. I have a large outdoor cactus garden that has be come
infested with something. It looks like a tiny piece of cotton
and when squished, emits a purple goo. Someone thought they
were mealy bugs but I'm not sure. I have sprayed them with
rubbing alcohol and they just keep coming. They seem to suck
juice from the cacti. They seem to attack mostly one type
of cacti but recently moved to another type. any help is greatly
appreciated.
Thomas McGovern
Hi Thomas,
The Cochineal Scale is often found on the pads of beavertail
or opuntia cactus. If you decide not to eradicate them, you
might choose to supplement your income by selling them. The
purple goo you describe, according to Charles Hogue: "can
be extracted by crushing dry specimens to a powder and then
boiling it in water. this cochineal, or 'Spanish Red' as it
is known, has been used for centuries as a dye by American
Indians. It was discovered by the Spaniards during their conquest
of the New world, and it quickly gained considerable commercial
value as a crimson dye for textiles. Only with the advent
of synthetic dyes has its importance subsided, although in
recent years its use has been revived in the search for natural
food colorings."
Malaysian Lanternfly
(06/24/2007) Pinocchio meets rudolph
Hi-
We found this bug in central Malaysia, and even though it's
distinct (to say the least), I can't find anything about it
on the internet. What the heck is it? Moth?
Fly? cicada? Plastic happy-meal toy? Thank you!!
Megan
Hi Megan,
This is a Lanternfly in the Superfamily Fulgoroidea. They
are considered Plant Hoppers and are mostly tropical.
Aphid Infestation
(06/06/2007) Aphids?
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
Found these on my roses… my best guess is that they
are aphids. They are on practically every branch tip
of my roses. Grrrr. I will try hosing them off
with a strong spray, and then will try the soapy water you
recommended in one of your aphid letters. Wish me luck!
Yvonne
Barrie , Ontario
Hi Yvonne,
That is some Aphid infestation you have there. We have had
some springs when we have a similar situation on our own rose
bushes. The hose works very well because many of the young
aphids are flightless and cnnot get back to the young tender
rose shoots once they have been knocked to the ground. We
also have problems with yellow aphids with black legs on our
hoyas.
Lanternfly
(06/04/2007) please tell me what it is
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please kindly check the name of the bug for me. Thanks
Gary
Hi Gary,
This is a Lantenfly. We cannot tell you anything more specific
as you did not tell us where it was photographed.
Two
Lined Spittlebug
(06/01/2007) Beneficial or Pest?
Hi,
I live in Round Rock, TX. Could you please tell me what this
bug is? I love beneficials and just cannot seem to find a
picture of it on the internet. I thought it might be some
kind of Milkbug at first but, it is on everything in my garden
from tomato to cucumber to melon to basil plants. It does
not seem to be chewing or sucking on the leaves so I am thinking
maybe it is a beneficial. Help! Thanks,
Jeffrey Bryant
Hi Jefffrey,
This is a Two Lined Spittlebug, Prosapia bicincta. The immature
insects form a mass of foamy spittle that serves as a protection
while the insect feeds by sucking the juices from plants.
Your photo shows the winged adult. According to BugGuide:
"In the immature (nymph) stage (surrounded by the "spittle"
foam which protects them, and which they produce from juices
they suck from the plant) they feed on centipedegrass, bermudagrass
and other grasses, including occasionally corn. Adults feed
on hollies - they feed on the underside of leaves, and damage
shows up as pale mottling not usually visible from above."
Spittle
from a Spittlebug and Aphid
(05/27/2007) spittling spittles bugs
Based on comments on your site, I think this may be the work
of spittle bugs of some sort...is that one of the bugs to
the left of the spittle bubbles? Taken in Bowling Green, OH
John
Hi John,
You are correct. This is the foamy spittle from a Spittlebug.
The spittle is secreted by the Spittlebug's anus and it serves
as a protective environment so the nymph can safely feed on
plant sap. Adults are winged and look like Leafhoppers. They
are sometimes called Froghoppers. BugGuide
has additional information. The insect visible in your photograph
is an Aphid.
Plant Pests Mealybug and Scale Insects, and predator
Twice Stabbed Ladybird Beetle Larva
(05/19/2007)
Rather than having to do attachments, if you could just take
a look at my blog
post and let me know what these things are and what I
can do about them, I'd really appreciate it. You're welcome
to copy any of the bug photos if you want to post on your
site. thanks!
nancy
From Nancy's Blog: So what do I do when I
finally get a Saturday off? I get a headache of course! No
really, I planned on being very productive today and getting
a lot done around the house, but I got a headache and feel
like taking it easy. I am getting one thing done. I went out
and photographed some bugs in an attempt to identify what's
killing the hackberry tree in my yard. I think that they're
a mealybug of some sort, but if anyone knows what these are
for sure and how to treat them then please let me know. The
tree is about 25 feet high so I hope there is a solution other
than spraying. Warning: if you really don't like creepy crawly
things then you might want to skip this post. It isn't a photography
post so you won't miss much. I was really interested in all
sorts of creatures when I was little. I'd dig up worms and
scout for interesting bugs. My mom even found me trying to
pull a snake out of his hole once. Unfortunately, I'm not
quite as fearless now, but I still think it's really interesting
what you can find when you just stop and look around. The
culprit eating my tree is small and white, and it seems to
be working its way in from the tips of the branches. It apparently produces
these white cocoon looking things and then moves on to another
spot. The white secretion seems to start around the head so
I'm assuming it isn't an egg sack, but I could be wrong. For
all I know, this could be one bug eating the egg sack of another.
The mobile white bugs themselves aren't as easy to find as
the white aftermath. I'm not sure what this is, but it looks
like it's making its own little white mess. I put it near
one of the larger bugs for comparison.
 |
 |
| Mealybug
and Scale Insect |
Scale
Insect |
While looking for the white bugs, I ran into this little guy
running up and down the branch. When he found one of the brown
scales, he stopped and seemed to be eating it. He was also
interested in the white aftermath. He looks a bit like a caterpillar,
but it is very small and has little legs that it runs on (unlike
a caterpillar). I got a shot of an ant running over him for
size comparison.
 |
 |
| Ladybird
Larva |
Ladybird
Larva |
Hi Nancy,
You have quite an ecosystem thriving on your Hackberry Tree.
The brown insect with the white mass appears to be an hermaphroditic
female Scale Insect in the family Margarodidae. It does not
however look like a Cottony
Cushion Scale as depicted on BugGuide but might be a related
species. Your white insect does appear to be a Mealybug,
another plant pest. Your third insect looked to us like a
Ladybird Beetle Larva, a predator that is probably feeding
on some of the pests. When we checked on BugGuide, the match
is a Twice
Stabbed Ladybird, Chilocorus stigma. BugGuide
has a great image of larva, pupa and adult Twice Stabbed ladybirds
feeding on Scale Insects. We don't give extermination advice.
We would recommend a trip to a good local nursery and NOT
using a broad band pesticide.
Spittlebug Spittle
(05/10/2007) foamy business
Bug man,
It's spring time in Amsterdam, and I'm having some type of
infestation on my small apple trees, Coriander, Mint, and
parsley plants. I am hoping that this is something to to with
Ladybugs, but I'm not quite sure. This foamy stuff, with larvae
of some sort is on many of the plants, and the black and red
insects are crawling about, though I belive those to actually
be immature lady bugs. Can you identifiy this...and is it
a problem....I hesitate to bring out the bug spray for fear
of killing beneficial insects off. thanks!
This is actually the spittle formed by a Spittlebug. Spittlebugs,
also known as Frog Hoppers, are in the Family Cercopidae.
They are related to Aphids and Leaf Hoppers as well as other
Hemipterans. Immature nymphs surround themselves with a foamy
mass that resembles spittle while the suck the juices from
the host plant.
Immature
Keel-Backed Treehopper
(02/30/2007) What Bug is This? He's black/orange with spikes
and armor: I call him stud bug
Hi Bugman,
Here's one that has me stumped! What bug is this? I've searched
the internet but to no avail. I've attached a picture for
you. It's a social but that usually groups in 3-4 on my tomato
plant. They are very quick and are intelligent enough to move
away from my line of sight and hide behind the other side
of the vine. At first I thought it was a lady bug larva but
the pictures I did find didn't match. Any thoughts? I'm, sorry,
WE are located in Redondo Beach, CA. Thank you so much! If
there is no name, I still suggest Stud Bug.
Best wishes,
Casey
Hi Casey,
This is an immature Keel-Backed Treehopper. Adults are green
and fly. These insects are related to aphids and suck juices
from plants. We find very large colonies on the woody stems
of our old tomato plants in the winter.
The insect labelled as the "keel-backed leafhopper" is actually
an immature membracid (treehopper) in the family Membracidae.
Adults tend to look nothing like the nymphs, as they lose
all those fine spines and spikes in most cases.
Eric [Eaton]
Thanks for the information Eric. We based that ID on Hogue's
book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin. Hogue identifies the
Keelbacked Treehopper, Antianthe expansa, as feeding on solanaceous
plants. When I checked Bugguide, the common name of Keeled
Tree Hopper is used for the same species where it is listed
as being in the family Membracidae. We mistakenly referred
to it as a Leafhopper instead of a Treehopper.
Green
Faced Wattle Hopper: nymph and adult
(02/21/2007) Australian Eurybrachyidae (18th Feb)
Dear Bugman,
I noticed Colette's photo of some wort of wattle or gum hopper.
I can sympathise with her being flummoxed! I took a photo
of a similar strange little bug last year and was very puzzled.
Recently, nearby, I found an adult green-faced gum hopper,
and worked backward to what I assume was its nymph form. The
gum hopper is very small and its beautiful colours only become
apparent when the photo is enlarged somewhat. I quite like
the nymph - a person with Attitude!
Kind Regards,
Grev
 
Hi again Grev,
As always, we can count on you to send us awesome photographs.
Probably immature Green-Face Wattle Hopper from Australia
or related species in the family Eurybrachyidae
(02/18/2007) What's this please?
Taken on Mount Tamborine, Australia.
It's an odd tiny thing that walks backwards as if it's spikes
are on it's head. Very jerky too. It's like a mini dinosaur.
Can you help? It's got a few of us on the Ex-pats site flummoxed!
Regards
Colette
 
Hi Colette,
We were certain this was an immature Plant Hopper, but were
unsure of the species, so we scoured the Geocities website.
We found several likely candidates in the family Eurybrachyidae
whose nymphs look very similar to your image, but we cannot
settle on an exact match. Several species are described as
moving backwards. Some likely candidates include the Green
Face Wattle Hopper (Olonia viridiventris), the Spider-face
Wattle Hopper (Gelastopsis insignis), and the Eye-patterned
Gum Hopper (Platybrachys vidua).
Unknown Homopteran Plant Hopper from Costa Rica
(02/05/2007) Costa Rican cotton ball?
Hi Bugman
Well, I have never in all my days seen one quite like this.
It is about 2" long, I would say. Hope you can help identify
it for us. We live on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. I
flew into my husband's shop the other day. Thanks
Sarah Morgan
Hi Sarah,
We can only be very general about this identification. It
is a Homopteran Plant Hopper and we are not even sure of the
family since there are many families in the tropics that do
not occur in temperate zones. Additionally, available reference
materials are often sketchy. The white feathery projections
are probably a waxy substance produced by the insect. We will
see if Eric Eaton can provide any additional information.
Lanternfly from Borneo
(02/01/2007) Borneo Bug
Hi just found your great site! I am living in East Kalimantan,
Indonesian Borneo, and a friend of mine took these pictures
of critters she saw when walking in the Kutai National park
near Sangatta. Are they a species of planthopper or treehopper??
The local Indonesian name for them is "Lom Lim".
Any help would be greatly appreciated as books on local bugs
are hard to come by out here! Many thanks, keep up the great
work
Sara
 
Hi Sara,
This is a Fulgorid Planthopper. Insects in the family Fulgoridae
are sometimes called Lanternflies. That common name dates
to an erroneous early belief that tropical species were luminous.
These insects suck plant juices.
Lanternfly or Partridge Bug
(01/31/2007) snout bug or beetle
These are common in grasslands around Boulder, Colorado, and
I'm embarrassed that I can't find them in any field guide.
Much thanks,
Steve Jones
Boulder, Colorado
Hi Steve,
This is a Fulgorid Planthopper, commonly called a Lanternfly.
A common Eastern species, Scolops sulcipes, is known as the
Partridge Bug. Our Audubon Guide lists a species, also from
the east, Scolops perdix, the Partridge Scolops, but we cannot
locate that species name on BugGuide.
BugGuide does list a species from Colorado, Scolops hesperius,
bug on the page, Andy Hamilton writes: " This species has
a shorter, stouter horn on the head than other Scolops. It
is a western species." Your photo depicts a longer, narrower
horn, much like the eastern species. We will contact Eric
Eaton to see if he can provide the exact species.
Lanternfly from Hong Kong: Longan Chicken
(01/20/2007) hong kong bug (with picture this time)
Hi,
Last year when I was on Lamma Island in Hong Kong I photographed
this bug. It walked slowly, making it easy to photograph.
Do you have any idea what this bug could be? Regards,
Alex
(the netherlands)
Hi Alex,
This is some species of Lanternfly, an insect in the order
Homoptera. We found a photo on the Encyclopedia
Brittanica site, but it is a different species.
Update: (01/21/2007) About the lanternfly
from Hong Kong
Hi Bugman,
I believe that the lanternfly that Alex found in Hong Kong
is Pyrops candelaria. The two most "common" Mandarin common
names of this lanternfly, if translated literaly to English,
is "white wax cicarda" (because of the white, wax-like powders
on its eggs), and "longan chicken" (because it feeds on saps
of the longan trees (Dimocarpus longan) as well as other fruit
trees such as mango, lichi and olive). Pyrops candelaria is
easily seen in Hong Kong and SE Asia. Images can be found
here ( http://www.pbase.com/bluetitan/pyropscandelaria
) and here ( http://aestheticarthropoda.blogspot.com/2006/12/pyrops-candelaria.html
). (Unfortunately most of the introduction to this lanternfly
is in Mandarin, and the second link is the best English description
I can find.) hopefully you find it helpful,
Wei-Ting
Thank you so much for the Update Wei-Ting.
Unknown Flatid Plant Hopper from Borneo
(01/15/2007) Fluffy white insect, Borneo
Hi.
Discovered this fantastic, fluffy little beauty in an area
of primary/secondary rainforest and I'm at a loss as to what
it could be. It was 1 inch in length, 6 visible legs and when
handled, it would occasionally jump 12 inches to a higher
object. It was quite a tedious exercise just to get the picture
you see now, as it refused to stop moving. This was one of
the better photos, I have a few more and some short video
footage. Would be great to finally put a name to it, being
my second encounter in the last 4 years, this seems quite
a rarity! Best regards.
Chris Martin
Malaysian Borneo
Hi Chris,
This is some species of tropical Plant Hopper. We will try
to contact Andy Hamilton, a recent contributor to our site
who specializes in tropical Homopterans.
Dear Bugman,
...I am NOT an expert on tropical insects, so I have sent
the message on to someone who knows the tropical planthoppers.
[Whatever] she says ... I for one will believe her.
Andy
[Her] assessment is "My best guess would be a flatid ... [they
are sometimes] ... just wax all over, although I have never
seen a leg sticking out like this." Flatidae are planthoppers
with very wide front wings, and are sometimes called "moth
bugs." You will find lots of pictures of North American flatid
nymphs on BugGuide.net
Andy
Costa
Rican Homopteran and Brazilian Peanut Headed Bug
(11/24/2006) Strange Costa Rican Bug...
Here's a mystery bug for you.... no one @ the lodges we visited
or any of the nature guides (and we had several) that we utilized
while on vacation in Costa Rica have been able to identify
it, or had ever seen it before.. We encountered this bug in
a small clearing in the rainforest at the tip of the Osa Peninsula,
aprox 500ft above sea level. When I saw what I thought was
a feather, I noticed this bug on the side of a tree. It was
there with another of the same species. I figure they measured
aprox 2 inches long (including plumage - for lack of a better
term) and perhaps 1/3rd inch wide (including wings). Since
we did not want to disturb them, we did not try to provoke
them to take flight or to run away. We were able to get close
enough for this picture, though. The plumage was very light
in nature, as it swayed and moved a bit in a light breeze
(we blew on it to see). Both bugs looked the same, and were
about the same in all attributes. Although we have literally
hundreds of pictures to go through, this seems to be the only
picture we have of it. This was the only of this species that
we saw the whole trip. Any ideas what it might be? Thanks,
~C~
Hi ~C~,
This is probably some species of Homopteran, the order that
contains Hoppers, Cicadas and Aphids. Perhaps someonw will
write in with something more specific. Here is Eric's response:
" Daniel: You are correct about the Costa Rican insect being
a Hemipteran, probably in the family Fulgoridae. Those are
wax filaments coming out of its butt:-) I suggest you ask
Dr. Andy Hamilton, a frequent visitor to Bugguide, for a more
specific, and correct ID. He is in Canada, but has a website,
affiliated with a university up there if I recall correctly.
... Your're doing great. Eric"
Chicharra Quetzal
(11/28/2006) Costa Rican Homopteran
Hi,
Regarding the home page photos titled Costa Rican Homopteran
from 11/24/2006, I can't add much except that it is known
in southwestern Costa Rica as "Chicharra Quetzal," and is
certainly recognized by the locals there, if you ask the right
ones. Also, my source agrees with Eric that it is indeed in
the family Fulgoridae, as is the famous Peanut-head Bug or
Lantern Bug. I've attached a photo of one from Cristalino
Jungle Lodge, Brazil. At Cristalino we saw several fulgorids
in the same group as the Costa Rican bug as well, but they
were about 4 times bigger than the ones I've seen in Costa
Rica. Somehow, I never managed to get a photo of one. Regards,
Rich
Richard C. Hoyer
Tucson, AZ
Hi Rich,
Thanks so much for the additional information and the wonderful
image of a Lanternfly.
Treehopper
Nymphs
(10/06/2006) Potato bush insect?
Hi Bugman!
While pruning my solanum rantonnetii (commonly called blue
potato bush) in San Diego, California, this warm October morning,
I encountered clusters of insects I have never seen before.
Not that I am an entomologist and should have known these,
I am just a humble biochemist. I wonder what you can make
of these? They appear to walk blunt end forward. I cannot
tell if there is a relationship with the ants all around them.
I can't see any nectar production from these insects, for
example. Is there somebody you can forward these pics to that
can make an ID if you cannot? I am curious whether these are
beneficials that I should encourage. I have several nearby
fruit trees, grapes, tomatoes, and herbs. I wonder if they
came for a sampling of these plants, though I have never seen
them on my crops, or if they came to eat the pests that may
be attracted to my crops. Should I be alarmed at these? Thanks
for any help you may offer!
Dan Adminex
Hi Dan,
These are immature Treehoppers, most likely Keelbacked Treehoppers,
Antianthe expansa, an insect commonly associated with solanaceous
plants. They suck the vital juices from the plants stems.
Adults are green and winged. The ants are attracted to the
honeydew they exude. They may spread viruses to your plants.
Exotic Hopper from Pakistan
(09/27/2006) This is Weird
Nothing about it in insect book and a lot bug experts dont
have clue about it i hope you can tell what is it Kind regards
Awais
Hi Awais,
You are correct. It is weird, and not knowing where it is
from is sure not going to help any identification. It is an
immature Hopper, one of the Homopterans. After that, we are
clueless.
Thanks It was found in my garage walking on bricks. I live
in Islamabad capital of Pakistan . i never saw it before.
Wooly Aphids
(09/18/2006)
Could you please identify this bug? Is it harmful to the vegetation
in my yard? I live in coastal North Carolina. Thank you
Don Scott
Jacksonville NC
Hi Don,
Looks like you have an infestation of Wooly Aphids. You did
not provide us with information on the host plant, but it
appears it might be an apple tree, in which case the Wooly
Apple Aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum, is most likely your species.
They are harmful. There is a webpage
with additional information.
Candystriped
Leafhopper
(09/09/2006) Flourescent bug
Hello there!
I know you must be terribly swamped....but this bug is so
beautiful....can you help me to identify it???? Thank you
so very much! I found it on a Redbud leaf a few days ago in
central Wisconsin.... Most sincerely...
Gayle Marks
Hi Gayle,
Thank you for your polite letter. We are feeling a bit sensitive
at the moment because we just opened a rather rude and demanding
letter from a woman who chastised us for not answering her.
We will remember her name and hit delete in the future. Sorry
to trouble you with our crushed ego. These are Red Banded
Leafhoppers or Red and Green Stiped Leafhoppers, or our favorite,
Candystriped Leafhoppers, Graphocephala coccinea. Though beautiful,
they are thought of as harmful to plants as they suck the
juices and have been known to spread viruses from plant to
plant as they feed.
Wooly Aphid and Two Lined Plant Hopper nymph
(08/14/2006) 2 strange bugs
Hi Bugman,
I have been trying to identify these for quite some times.
I took the pictures in Northern VA. This one is really tiny.
You can see that it was sitting on the tip of my finger. This
looks like some kind of treehopper but what's up with the
fuzzy feather on the back? Thanks a bunch and I love your
website. Especially the Carnage page. I keep telling my friends
to not kill wasps, robber fly and assassin bugs :-)
Michael
 |
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| Wooly
Aphid |
Two
lined Plant Hopper |
Hi Michael,
Both of your insects are Homopterans. One is a Wooly Aphid
and the other is the nymph of the Two Striped Plant Hopper,
Acanalonia bivittata. We found a match on Bugguide.
Ant Cows with herder
(08/12/2006) what are these bugs? huge mass of them
Found it on a few leaves. My first thought was that those
were all baby ants or something but in the photo once enlarged
on screen, they don't look like ants. The bigger ants next
to the "mass" weren't attacking it or anything just
sitting there looking at it without moving.-
Greg Dunbar
Hi Greg,
Aphids are the bane to a gardener's existance as they are
injurious to plants. They suck the juices from the plants
and proliferate rapidly. Aphids are sometimes called Ant Cows
since they have a symbiotic relationship with ant. The Aphids
exude a sticky "honeydew" from their anus and the ants just
love it. Ants are known to "herd" the Aphids by moving them
to other non-infested plants to provide a fresh food supply
when the original plant begins to wither and weaken.
Glassy Winged Sharpshooter
(08/10/2006) Homalodisca vitripennis (Glassy-winged sharpshooter)
Hi Lisa Anne and Daniel,
Thank you for the time and enthusiasm you devoted to this
wonderful and useful site! Here is a photo of Homalodisca
vitripennis (Glassy-winged sharpshooter) I took around mid-July
this year at the balcony of my apartment at Pasadena, CA.
I ID the bug with the aid of both your site and the BugGuide.
On the first day I noticed one nymph on the branch of my black
locust, and a day later, found three adults. These bugs, each
about 1.5cm long, looked darker when observed directly by
eyes.The colors on wings and patterns on the body are displayed
more clearly in photos. They were extremely shy and very good
at hiding. I had to use my hand to "scare" them
away from the other side of the branch to take the shot. The
photo is not as beautiful compared to the other amazing pictures
on your page, but since there is only one glassy-winged sharpshooter
entry on your site, I hope you still find it useful to add
to your database. :) Supplementary Info: Based on BugGuide
and other related webpages like USDA:
" the Glassy-winged sharpshooters is one of the invasive species
in S. California (although native to Southeast US). Being
the vector of the plant-infecting bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa,
the sharpshooter can transmit Pierce¡|s Disease of grapes
and many other "scorch-like" plant diseases, and
is therefore considered a serious agricultural pest in SoCal,
especially for wine grapes and peach." thanks again,
Wei-Ting
Thank Wei-Ting,
We welcome the opportunity to post another example of the
Glassy Winged Sharpshooter, especially since getting the image
required some pre-planned choreography.
Wooly Aphid, AKA Angelfly
(07/16/2006) Whats this bug?Angel Bug?
Hello, I live in West Virginia and often see these things
flloating around and have finally gotten a few pics of one
that allowed me to veiw it for a couple minutes. I have talked
to a few older people and they said that they always called
them Angel Bugs, so i was just wanting more info on this beautiful
but sometimes illusive and difficult to photo bug. I tryed
looking through your wonderful site but i just didnt know
where to begin. Thanks for any info you could provide!
Jed
Hi Jed,
We tried unsucessfully to locate photos of adult Wooly Aphids
online. Eric Eaton has substantiated that this is a winged
Wooly Aphid.
Wooly
Aphids
(06/26/2006) "Angelflies"
Dear What's That Bug,
Thanks a bunch! For the past three days, I've been obsessing--
even losing sleep-- over a mystery insect that seems to have
flourished this year. I've known about them for the majority
of my life, but always by the name angelflies. Being a zoologically
obsessed fifteen year-old, I realized though I knew their
name, I knew nothing else. I quickly asked my lover, Google,
more. Absolutely nothing useful popped up for the entry "Angelfly".
This puzzled me. Why has Google failed me? So, then I asked
my mistress, Jeeves (Jeeves can be a mistress if I want him
to be). He also could come up with nothing. I then went to
Wikipedia... again. Nothing. So, now angry at the world I
viciously attacked the line of "X"s on the top,
right hand corner of my screen and stomped off to bed. I then
sulked around the house all day, quite distraught on the lack
of knowledge I had on such a seemingly basic creature. Today,
we went on a walk. As we walked I saw one flit by, as if the
wind was the choice medium of steering. I gently cupped my
hands around it and then tormented the simple minded creature
for the sake of observation. I noticed that the white-furred
little pixie had four wings... evidently not really a fly.
As I paid more attention to everything under the fur, I saw
that it had dark, blue-gray skin. Sort of like ash. But what
startled me the most was that it looked a lot like an aphid.
Bingo! As soon as I got back home, I pounced on your site
and searched under the only section I seemed to miss on my
hunt amongst your site... the aphids. The entry that caught
my eye was that of the wooly aphids, sent by Ryan. I then
went back to Google and did an image search and got a very
spiffy photo of a "Wooly Apple Aphid". An exact
match to what has plagued my dreams for so long! Well... three
days... but let's not split hairs. So, again, thanks for your
help in clearing my thoughts! These are truly beautiful little
bugs... with maybe not quite as delicate of a name as I'm
accustomed to (leave it to West Virginian's to screw up a
perfectly good Google search query!).
Thanks a bunch,
Justin Caruthers
Hi Justin,
What a fabulous letter. Sadly, as it is without an image,
we have placed it on our Fanmail 2 page. We hope you are planning
to go to college as a wit like yours would be wasted in a
factory or Walmart. Let us know if you ever need a letter
of recommendation.
Candystriped Leafhopper
(07/10/2006) bugs on perennial hibiscus
Hi,
I'm hoping you can help me identify this 'critter'. Found
these on my perennial hibiscus today. Last year about the
time they were ready to blossom they were overrun with a lime
green version of this bug. They literally swarmed over the
blossoms. I've been treating the plants with a systemic fertilizer/insecticide
that is supposed to control aphids & other assorted insects.
If I don't figure out a way to rid the plants of these pests
I doubt if the plants will stay in my landscape for another
season. I live in Minnesota and we're having a hot, humid
and very dry summer so far. Thanks for any help you can give
me!
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Even though it is a beauty, the Candystriped Leafhopper, or
Red Striped Leafhopper, Graphocephala coccinea, is, as you
well know, a plant sucking pest. They are also believed to
spread viruses to plants.
Lanternfly from Brazil
(06/29/2006) AMAZING INSECT FROM AMAZON
Here is an insect I was hoping you could identify for me.
It's found in the rain forest of Brazil along the Amazon River.
Thanks so much for any help you can give me. :-)
Donna Riley
Hi Donna,
This is a Lanternfly, one of the Fulgorid Planthoppers. We
are thrilled you send an open wing and a closed wing view.
Thanks SO much for your timely reply. Actually (did I tell
you?) the photo was sent to me by a missionary Vaughn Goff
whose work is in the Amazon jungle.
Lanternfly
(06/28/2006) okay smarty pants.. name this insect!
Here's another insect I found with no information...
any idea? BTW - i didn't kill these bugs, I'm jsut doing a
project on them.. and need some information about them...
even just the name of it'll will help.
-m-
Hi -m-,
We were intrigued by your cocky challenge. This is one of
the Fulgorid Planthoppers sometimes known as Lanternflies.
We suspect this is an exotic species from the tropics. Now,
Smarty Pants, where is it from? We are also going to turn
to Eric Eaton to substantiate our identification.
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