Planthoppers are true bugs….and really this is just an excuse to show the adult Planthoppers following the planthopper nymph blog I did a couple of days ago, (see link below).... …….. and to tease you to look at the blog tomorrow, to find out the difference between true bugs and insects!
This tiny little guy has the wonderful name of Geisha distinctissima, or Moth Bug.
A planthopper - like spittlebugs and treehoppers - are exclusively herbivores (plant-eaters), using their straw-like mouthparts to suck phloem sap out of their host plants.
This is the very common Ricanid Planthopper (Ricania sp.)
Many planthoppers are conservative with their food preference, eating only certain plant species; and
sometimes (for unknown reasons) planthoppers will feed on specific individual plants for generations and generations. Whereas here to the right, a planthopper provides a tasty meal to the omnivorous cricket.
A Planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide. The name comes from the adults fantastic resemblance to leaves and other plants of their environment, and that they often “hop” to move quickly and/or avoid predation. The adults spring into the air before flying away, whereas the young nymphs (pre adult stage) simply “boing” away and the fall through the air.
Planthopper nymph
see my earlier story on the planthopper nymph here: https://www.wildcreatureshongkong.org/single-post/2018/05/25/What-is-that-weird-tiny-white-spiky-fungus-looking-insect-that-shoots-into-the-air
Here are some more images of this lovely little animal. Click to see them larger.