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Friday, November 21, 2014

Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

A few days ago, our friend sent us a link to a new grape pest that has been seen in Pennsylvania. Once you know where to look, information about the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) can be found everywhere on the Internet. This particular article says that the spotted lanternfly can impact industries ranging from lumber to wine.
The adults and nymphs of the spotted lanternfly feed on phloem tissues of foliage and young stems with their piercing and sucking mouthparts and excrete large quantities of liquid. This excreted liquid is high in sugar content that can harbor mold growth, which could hinder plant growth or even cause death.
Knowing the life cycle of the spotted lanternfly is helpful in trying to identify the insect and limit their damage. I put together this life cycle diagram from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture article on the Spotted Lanternfly.
The adult form of the spotted lanternfly is rather beautiful:

3 comments:

  1. how big is the late instar of the spotted lanternfly

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  2. i am trying to make a model of this insect for a scientist so i need to know for proportion size

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  3. Hi— I looked on the Internet and could not find the size of the fourth instar. The moth itself is one inch to one and one half inches in size. You could try contacting someone at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture from the link provided in the blog. Sorry I cannot be of any more help. Good luck!

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