![]() ![]() Spotted lanternflies nymphs on Vitis labrusca in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States in early July 2018Īilanthus altissima is a tree native to China and invasive to many other areas worldwide. Additionally, the spotted lanternfly will also perform aerial reorientation and terrestrial righting as means to right itself, collectively giving the spotted lanternfly the ability to land on a variety of surfaces and spread rapidly through an environment. This bouncing provides nymphs, and to a lesser extent adults, multiple opportunities to repeatedly attempt righting themselves following a jump. The spotted lanternfly will perform a number of "successive collisions" upon jumping, employing both passive and active righting as it falls. The lanternfly is a planthopper, and uses its wings to assist these jumps rather than making sustained flights. Females also have longer legs as compared to those of their male counterparts. Adult females, when measured from head to wing tip, have a body length of 20 to 27 millimetres ( 13⁄ 16 to 1 + 1⁄ 16 in) while males are a smaller size, between 21 to 22 millimetres ( 53⁄ 64 to 55⁄ 64 in). ![]() When gravid (mated), the females' abdomens swell to the point where they have difficulty moving. ![]() Females have a set of red valvifers at the distal end of the abdomen, which males lack. The spotted lanternfly is sexually dimorphic. In 2019, the genome of L. delicatula was fully sequenced, with Aphaena amabilis, and Pyrops candelaria both being classified as close relatives. L. delicatula is also referred to as the spot clothing wax cicada ("chu-ki" or "banyi-la-chan" in Chinese) and the Chinese blistering cicada ("ggot-mae-mi" in Korean). The name Lycorma delicatula derives from lyc/lyco, meaning "lamp" and delicatula, meaning "luxurious". Taxonomic classification places three other species ( L. imperialis, L. meliae, and L. olivacea) as closely related to the spotted lanternfly. In 1863, the species was reclassified by Carl Stål as Lycorma delicatula delicatula, with two additional subspecies described: Lycorma delicatula jole and Lycorma delicatula operosa. White described the species as similar to Aphaena variegata, another planthopper species native to Asia, and referenced prior descriptions by George Tradescant Lay in his initial classification of the spotted lanternfly. L. delicatula was originally described by Adam White in 1845 as Aphaena delicatula, and the first scientific collections were made outside of Nankin, China. Species within this genus are found in Asia. Lycorma delicatula is a species in the genus Lycorma, in the planthopper family Fulgoridae, subfamily Aphaeninae. Ongoing pest control efforts have sought to limit population growth, due to the threat L. delicatula poses to global agricultural industries. L. delicatula's egg masses have been found to be the primary vector of spread, with Ailanthus altissima populations seen as a risk factor for further infestation globally. In September 2014, L. delicatula was first recorded in the United States, and as of 2020, it is an invasive species in much of Northeastern United States. The species was accidentally introduced into South Korea in 2006 and Japan in 2009, and has since been considered a pest. The piercing wounds caused by their mouthparts and the honeydew waste they excrete have been found to be significantly detrimental to the health of host plants. Adults do not display any specialized feeding associations with herbaceous plants but have been known to cause extensive damage to crops and ornamental plants. Adult spotted lanternflies display a black head, grey wings, and red hind wings. Early life instars display a large host range that narrows with maturation. Early life stages ( instars) of the spotted lanternfly are characterized by spotted black and white nymphs that develop a red pigmentation and wings as they mature. The spotted lanternfly's life cycle is often centered on its preferred host Ailanthus altissima but L. delicatula can associate with more than 173 plants. In its native habitat, L. delicatula populations are kept in check by parasitic wasps. Its host plants include grapes, stone fruits, and Malus species, although its preferred host is Ailanthus altissima ( Chinese sumac or tree of heaven). It has spread invasively to Japan, South Korea, and the United States. The spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper indigenous to parts of China. ![]()
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