Lycorma delicatula

Ge­o­graphic Range

Spot­ted lantern­flies (Ly­corma del­i­cat­ula) are a species of plan­thop­pers na­tive to China, Tai­wan, India, and Viet­nam. The species is in­va­sive to Korea, Japan, and the United States. Spot­ted lantern­flies ap­peared in Berks county, Penn­syl­va­nia in 2014. Since then, it has ap­peared in lo­cal­ized areas of New York, Delaware, and Vir­ginia. If seen, spot­ted lantern­flies should be killed on sight and re­ported at the Penn­syl­va­nia De­part­ment of Agri­cul­ture. (Dara, et al., 2015; Gillett-Kauf­man and Grif­fith, 2019)

Habi­tat

Spot­ted lantern­flies can be found on more than 70 species of plants, in­clud­ing fruit trees, or­na­men­tal trees, woody trees, and vines. Trees of heaven are their pre­ferred host plant. Spot­ted lantern­flies are most com­monly found on trees with smooth bark. (Dara, et al., 2015; John­son, et al., 2019)

Phys­i­cal De­scrip­tion

Adult spot­ted lantern­flies can be con­fused for moths. Fe­males are 24-27 mm in length, while males are 21-22 mm. The heads and wings of spot­ted lantern­flies are dark-brown to black in color. Mem­bers of this species have four wings. The front wings are grey­ish and have dark spots. Back wings are black-tipped, white in the cen­ter, and bright red near the body. Spot­ted lantern­flies have a wide ab­domen with yel­low and black-brown stripes. The ab­domen and back wings can only be seen when in flight. The ab­domen of fe­males is red at the end. (Dara, et al., 2015)

Nymphs have four in­stars of de­vel­op­ment. The first three stages have black bod­ies with white spots. Nymphs in the fourth and final in­star have yel­low-ish white spots and a red­dish color. Each in­star in­creases in size. (Dara, et al., 2015)

Eggs masses are cov­ered in a sticky, off-white or grey sub­stance that turns a grey-ish brown color over time. These masses may be mis­taken for spots of mud or seed pods from plants. (John­son, et al., 2019)

  • Sexual Dimorphism
  • female larger
  • sexes colored or patterned differently
  • female more colorful
  • Range length
    21 to 27 mm
    0.83 to 1.06 in

De­vel­op­ment

Eggs are laid from Au­gust to early No­vem­ber and over­win­ter. The sur­vival of eggs de­pends on win­ter tem­per­a­tures. The eggs hatch in May. Nymphs go through four nymphal in­stars of de­vel­op­ment fol­lowed by in­com­plete meta­mor­pho­sis. Adults emerge in July. (Dara, et al., 2015)

Re­pro­duc­tion

No in­for­ma­tion about mat­ing sys­tems could be found.

Spot­ted lantern­flies are a uni­vol­tine species, but fe­males lay mul­ti­ple egg masses each year with sex­ual re­pro­duc­tion. Eggs are laid in batches of 20-30 on trees with smooth bark, stones, fence posts, and ma­chin­ery. In Korea, there are typ­i­cally 3-4 egg masses per tree. In Penn­syl­va­nia, there can be up to 197 egg masses per tree. Eggs laid at the end of the sea­son will over­win­ter until April or May when the first in­star hatches. (Kim, et al., 2011)

  • Breeding interval
    Once yearly
  • Breeding season
    September-early December
  • Range eggs per season
    20 to 30

Spot­ted lantern­flies ex­hibit no parental in­volve­ment. (Dara, et al., 2015)

  • Parental Investment
  • no parental involvement

Lifes­pan/Longevity

Spot­ted lantern­flies have a lifes­pan of one year. The sur­vival of eggs de­pends on win­ter tem­per­a­tures, with a hatch rate of 60-90%. (Dara, et al., 2015)

  • Average lifespan
    Status: wild
    1 years

Be­hav­ior

Spot­ted lantern­flies are ac­tive dur­ing the day. They do not tend to fly away when ap­proached. Adults are good jumpers and climbers. Nymphs are strong climbers and will at­tempt to climb up trees after they emerge. Phys­i­cal bar­ri­ers, strong winds, and rough bark can cause them to fall. If they fall, they will start climb­ing again. (Dara, et al., 2015; Kim, et al., 2011)

If the den­sity of nymphs pre­sent on one host plant is too high, they may be­come ag­gres­sive with each other. In this sce­nario, when a nymph on a highly pop­u­lated plant tries to eat near an­other nymph that was al­ready there, they will fight. The nymph who was al­ready there will raise its fore­limbs as a chal­lenge. The ap­proach­ing nymph will ei­ther flee or at­tempt to mount the chal­leng­ing nymph. If mounted, the chal­leng­ing nymph will at­tempt to throw off the ap­proach­ing nymph. The chal­leng­ing nymph typ­i­cally wins. (Dara, et al., 2015; Kim, et al., 2011)

If too many nymphs live on one plant, they may try to fight each other. This hap­pens when a nymph on a highly crowded plant tries to eat near an­other nymph that was al­ready there. The nymph who was al­ready there will raise its fore­limbs as a chal­lenge. The in­vad­ing nymph will run away or try to mount the chal­leng­ing nymph. If the chal­leng­ing nymph is mounted, it will try to throw off the in­vad­ing nymph. The chal­leng­ing nymph typ­i­cally wins. (Dara, et al., 2015; Kim, et al., 2011)

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Per­cep­tion

Not much in­for­ma­tion is known about the com­mu­ni­ca­tion and per­cep­tion of spot­ted lantern­flies. They likely use tac­tile, vi­sual, and chem­i­cal chan­nels of per­cep­tion. Tac­tile, vi­sual, and chem­i­cal meth­ods of com­mu­ni­ca­tion are pos­si­ble. (Gillett-Kauf­man and Grif­fith, 2019; Kim, et al., 2011)

Food Habits

Spot­ted lantern­flies are known to feed upon the sap in the phloem of more than 70 species of plants, in­clud­ing apple trees, birch trees, cherry trees, grapevines, lilacs, maple trees, and poplar trees. Both nymphs and adults feed upon trees of heaven, an in­va­sive plant species. The pre­ferred hosts of spot­ted lantern­flies may be cho­sen be­cause of their toxic sec­ondary metabo­lites. (Dara, et al., 2015; Gillett-Kauf­man and Grif­fith, 2019; John­son, et al., 2019)

When spot­ted lantern­flies feed, they pierce the bark to cre­ate wounds on the plants. They also pro­duce a sticky sub­stance called hon­ey­dew. (Dara, et al., 2015; Gillett-Kauf­man and Grif­fith, 2019)

  • Primary Diet
  • herbivore
    • eats sap or other plant foods
  • Plant Foods
  • sap or other plant fluids

Pre­da­tion

Through their pref­er­ence for eat­ing plants that pro­duce cy­to­toxic byprod­ucts, spot­ted lantern­flies can be toxic when eaten. The grey­ish color of the forewings may be a cam­ou­flag­ing adap­ta­tion. Sim­i­larly, the bright red col­ored back wings may serve as a warn­ing to preda­tors. (Gillett-Kauf­man and Grif­fith, 2019; Lee, et al., 2020)

Spot­ted lantern­flies repel many gen­er­al­ist preda­tors. They are not often preyed upon through­out their in­va­sive range. In China, lar­vae are preyed upon by dryinid wasps and one species of par­a­sitoid chal­cid wasps. (Bar­ringer and Smy­ers, 2016; Dara, et al., 2015)

  • Known Predators

Ecosys­tem Roles

In their in­va­sive range, spot­ted lantern­flies are a dis­rup­tive species. They have no na­tive preda­tors and repel many gen­er­al­ist preda­tors with their un­palat­able or toxic taste. Par­a­sitoid wasps prey upon the lar­vae of spot­ted lantern­flies. (Dara, et al., 2015; Lee, et al., 2020)

Spot­ted lantern­flies feed on and dam­age fruit trees, woody trees, or­na­men­tal trees, and vines. They are known to prey upon more than 70 species of plants, in­clud­ing apple trees, birch trees, cherry trees, grapevines, lilacs, maple trees, and poplar trees. (Dara, et al., 2015; Lee, et al., 2020)

While feed­ing, spot­ted lantern­flies pro­duce a sticky, sug­ary sub­stance called hon­ey­dew. Hon­ey­dew at­tracts pests like hor­nets, wasps, and ants. Black sooty mold grows on the sug­ary sub­stance, re­duc­ing the rate of pho­to­syn­the­sis. Pests, pathogens from in­fect wounds, the pres­ence of mold, and de­creased pho­to­syn­the­sis can im­pact the health of the plant. (John­son, et al., 2019)

Com­men­sal/Par­a­sitic Species
  • dryinid wasps (Dry­i­nus browni)
  • chal­cid wasps (Anas­ta­tus ori­en­talis)

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Neg­a­tive

Spot­ted lantern­flies are threats to grape and or­chard in­dus­tries. They dam­age the plants they feed on, even killing the plants in some cases. In the United States, spot­ted lantern­flies dis­turb more than 40 types of agri­cul­tural crops and land­scap­ing plants. If spot­ted in the United States, they should be killed on site. (Dara, et al., 2015; Lee, et al., 2020)

  • Negative Impacts
  • crop pest

Con­ser­va­tion Sta­tus

Con­trib­u­tors

Deena Hauze (au­thor), An­i­mal Di­ver­sity Web Staff.

Glossary

Nearctic

living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.

World Map

aposematic

having coloration that serves a protective function for the animal, usually used to refer to animals with colors that warn predators of their toxicity. For example: animals with bright red or yellow coloration are often toxic or distasteful.

arboreal

Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

cryptic

having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

diapause

a period of time when growth or development is suspended in insects and other invertebrates, it can usually only be ended the appropriate environmental stimulus.

diurnal
  1. active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
ectothermic

animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature

fertilization

union of egg and spermatozoan

forest

forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.

herbivore

An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.

internal fertilization

fertilization takes place within the female's body

introduced

referring to animal species that have been transported to and established populations in regions outside of their natural range, usually through human action.

metamorphosis

A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

oriental

found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.

World Map

oviparous

reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.

seasonal breeding

breeding is confined to a particular season

sedentary

remains in the same area

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

tactile

uses touch to communicate

temperate

that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).

visual

uses sight to communicate

Ref­er­ences

Bar­ringer, E., E. Smy­ers. 2016. Pre­da­tion of the spot­ted lantern­fly, Ly­corma del­i­cat­ula (White) (Hemiptera: Ful­go­ri­dae) by two na­tive Hemiptera. En­to­mo­log­i­cal News, 126: 71-73.

Dara, S., L. Bar­ringer, S. Arthurs. 2015. Ly­corma del­i­cat­ula (Hemiptera: Ful­go­ri­dae): A New In­va­sive Pest in the United States. Jour­nal of In­te­grated Pest Man­age­ment, 6(1): 20. Ac­cessed June 09, 2020 at https://​doi.​org/​10.​1093/​jipm/​pmv021.

Gillett-Kauf­man, J., . Grif­fith. 2019. "Com­mon Name: Spot­ted Lantern­fly" (On-line). Fea­tured Crea­tures En­to­mol­ogy & Nemo­tol­ogy. Ac­cessed June 09, 2020 at http://​entnemdept.​ufl.​edu/​creatures/​ORN/​TREES/​spotted_​lanternfly.​html.

John­son, A., D. Mc­Cul­lough, R. Isaacs. 2019. "Spot­ted lantern­fly: A col­or­ful cause for con­cern" (On-line). MSU Ex­ten­sion In­va­sive Species. Ac­cessed June 09, 2020 at https://​www.​canr.​msu.​edu/​news/​spotted-lanternfly-a-colorful-cause-for-concern.

Kim, J., E. Lee, Y. Seo, N. Kin. 2011. Cyclic Be­hav­ior of Ly­corma del­i­cat­ula (In­secta: Hemiptera: Ful­go­ri­dae) on Host Plants. Jour­nal of In­sect Be­hav­ior, 24: 423. Ac­cessed June 09, 2020 at https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​s10905-011-9266-8.

Lee, D., Y. Park, T. Leskey. 2020. A re­view of bi­ol­ogy and man­age­ment of Ly­corma del­i­cat­ula (Hemiptera: Ful­go­ri­dae), an emerg­ing global in­va­sive species. Jour­nal of Asia-Pa­cific En­to­mol­ogy, 22(2): 589-596. Ac­cessed June 09, 2020 at https://​doi.​org/​10.​1016/​j.​aspen.​2019.​03.​004.