Spotted Lanternfly
Lycorma delicatula
They excrete a sugary waste called honeydew, which attracts stinging insects and promotes the growth of a black, damaging sooty mold on plants.
- Scientific name
- Lycorma delicatula
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hemiptera › Fulgoridae › Lycorma
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, agricultural orchards, vineyards, and disturbed urban areas.
- Diet
- Phloem sap from over 70 plant species, heavily preferring the invasive Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), grapevines, and fruit trees.
- Range
- China, Taiwan, Vietnam, United States, South Korea, Japan
- Size
- Adults are approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) long with a 2-inch wingspan.
- Lifespan
- 1 year
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- In its invasive range, threats are primarily human eradication efforts, specialized predators, and extreme winter freezes.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans as they do not bite, sting, or carry disease. However, they are a highly destructive invasive pest in North America. If encountered outside their native Asian range, you are encouraged to kill them immediately ('squish it') and report the sighting to your local agricultural authority.
The spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula ) is a planthopper indigenous to parts of China and Vietnam. It has spread invasively to Japan, South Korea, and the United States, where it is often referred to by the acronym " SLF ". Its preferred host is the tree of heaven ( Ailanthus altissima ), but it also feeds on other trees, and on crops including soybean, grapes, stone fruits, and Malus spp . In its native habitat, L. delicatula populations are regulated by parasitic wasps.
Photo: WanderingMogwai, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/b6f6b082-ec31-4cf6-9b7e-f1cf45ff188d.md