# Citrus Flatid Planthopper

*Metcalfa pruinosa*

Nymphs produce long, white, waxy filaments that make them look like tiny pieces of lint or 'ghosts' to confuse predators.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hemiptera › Flatidae › Metcalfa
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forests, fruit orchards, and urban gardens with plenty of broad-leafed plants.
- **Diet:** Phloem sap from a wide variety of host plants, including citrus, grapevines, and ornamental shrubs.
- **Range:** North America, Europe, Asia
- **Size:** 5 to 8 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 year
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Agricultural pesticides and competition with other sap-sucking insects.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless to humans. If found on garden plants, they may be gently brushed off; their white waxy residue is non-toxic but can be sticky to the touch. No medical action required.

## About

Metcalfa pruinosa , the citrus flatid planthopper , is a species of insect in the Flatidae family of planthoppers first described by Thomas Say in 1830.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/3b020ad7-5982-435b-b632-040929a6681c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/126209
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalfa pruinosa
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/10965595/medium.jpg (Antonia Bookbinder, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.