Obscure Insects Of Indonesia : Lanternflies

[caption caption="Lanternflies Picture , Source : http://carnivoraforum.com/search/?c=3&mid=3839332&month=6&year=2014"][/caption]

Indonesia is known for it’s diverse wildlife, in which insects and arthropods contributed a large number of species to. Many of them are bizarre, and yet wonderful at the same time.

While some of them are well-known, such as birdwing butterflies, atlas moths, leaf insects, and the rhinoceros beetle, there are still many unknown to the public. On this article, we’ll focus on one of those obscure insects, the lanternflies.

Lanternflies or Fulgoridae are a family of insects that can be found in tropical regions of the world, such as in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America. The main characteristic that most of them has is an elongated or inflated head,  some of them even resembling a snake’s or crocodile’s head. Even the name “Lanternfly” comes from a misconception that their heads could emit light.

Lanternflies has a pair of wings with  bright and varying colorations, making them resemble a butterfly or a moth. However, the lanternflies’ front and back wings contrasted in colour, unlike a butterfly or a moth. Even though they has wings, lanternflies moves more frequently by hopping.

Lanternflies mostly lived in tropical forests. They feed on saps of trees by using their proboscis, and are fed on by several predators such as wasps and spiders.

Lanternflies are popular to photographers and collectors alike due to their bright colours, most of them belonging to the Pyrops or Fulgora genera. Others are treated as invasive pests, such as the spotted lanternfly or Lycorma delicatula.

In Indonesia, there are many species of lanternflies. Most of them belongs to the Pyrops genera. They are often found alone or in small groups, and are easily an interesting sight.

[caption caption="My Lanternflies Collection, Source : Mine"]

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