Planthoppers are fascinating bugs with more than 12500 species all over the world. Today, we will introduce you to 17 distinct types of planthoppers to explore, each boasting unique traits, behaviors, and their impacts on agriculture.
Brown planthopper (Brown planthopper)
The brown planthopper is a significant pest that affects rice crops throughout Asia, particularly in South and Southeast Asia and Oceania. This insect feeds on rice as well as wild grasses. It is notorious for causing “hopperburn,” a harmful condition where rice plants wilt and ultimately die. In cases of heavy infestation, rice yields can be reduced by up to 40%.
The brown planthopper exists in two main types: one with long, transparent wings suited for migration, and another with shorter wings that stay put. The long-winged version, about 3.5 to 4.5 mm in size, travels to spread infestations across new rice fields. In contrast, the short-winged type is smaller and doesn’t migrate. The nymphs of the brown planthopper begin life white and gradually turn purple-brown as they grow. The adults have a brownish-black color with a yellowish-brown body.
Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa)
The citrus flatid planthopper is originally from North America and has since spread to Europe and South Korea. These insects are small, measuring between 5.5 to 8 mm in length and 2 to 3 mm in width. They often appear gray or tan due to a waxy coating and typically have two or more dark spots near the base of their wings. While they feed on a variety of woody plants, including citrus, they rarely cause significant damage to healthy plants. Occasionally, particularly after cold weather, they may harm small buds or cause fruit to drop, but they are not known to spread plant viruses.
Northern flatid planthopper (Flatormenis proxima)
The Northern flatid planthopper is found in grasslands, brushy areas, forest edges, and mixed hardwood forests. It is more common in the northern U.S. and Canada, unlike the citrus flatid planthopper, which is the most prevalent species in the southern U.S.
The adults of this species are a soft pale green, while the nymphs are white, coated in a cotton-like wax. This insect eats a variety of plants, including black walnut. While they don’t exist in large enough numbers to cause significant damage directly, the small holes they make when laying eggs can harm smaller stems and branches.
Green cone-headed planthopper (Acanalonia conica)
The green cone-headed planthopper belongs to the Acanaloniidae family and is native to North America and Europe. This small insect has a unique wedge-shaped body that mimics the appearance of a leaf, complete with a vibrant green color and distinctive red eyes. Its name comes from its cone-shaped head. The young nymphs of this species produce a white, fluffy wax that covers them entirely, likely helping to shield them from predators such as dryinid wasps.
This type of planthopper produces one generation each year. Females use their ovipositor to insert eggs into the bark of host plants, and these eggs hatch in the following spring. This planthopper feeds on a diverse range of herbs, shrubs, and trees. Although it can be a pest in crops like ginseng, it typically doesn’t harm most ornamental plants significantly. Natural predators of this planthopper include mites, dryinid wasps, and a caterpillar species that prey on both nymphs and adults.
White-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera)
The white-backed planthopper is a major pest in rice fields across Asia, including India, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Both the young (nymphs) and adults feed on rice plants by sucking the sap, which can stunt growth, decrease the number of stalks, and in severe cases, kill the plant. Additionally, it can spread the southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus to the crops.
You can recognize this planthopper species by its light-brown color and a distinct white line down the center of the triangular shield on its back.
Wax-tailed hopper (Pterodictya reticularis)
The wax-tailed hopper is one of the most interesting types of planthoppers. It’s native to the Amazon rainforest and often found on the trunks of trees like the Ceiba. This species is easily identifiable by its long, feather-like wax plumes that extend from its rear end. These plumes, which the insect produces as a defense mechanism, help deter predators by making it less appetizing.
To create these plumes, the insect transforms the plant juices it consumes into ketoester waxes. Females additionally use the wax to shield their eggs from parasites and drying out, ensuring their offspring’s survival. The bright red eyes of the wax-tail hopper add to its striking appearance. If you’re interested in this insect, here are some interesting facts about the wax-tailed hopper.
Two-striped planthopper (Acanalonia bivittata)
The two-striped planthopper is a small, common insect found throughout the eastern United States and nearby areas of Canada. Typically, they range from 5.2 to 8.4 mm long and have a flat, wedge-shaped body. Most species are green, but some can appear pink. Their most distinctive features are the two brown stripes that run down the sides of their head and thorax.
This planthopper type features a flat top of the head and a straight face without any pronounced steps. Its antennae are short, bristly, and divided into three segments. The forewings, which are broad and oval, extend beyond the body length and are covered in a noticeable net-like pattern. The hindwings are well-developed.
They live in various environments such as forest edges, fields, shrublands, and mixed hardwood forests. It feeds on a diverse array of plants and is most active from July to September.
Cross-eyed planthopper (Dictyopharidae)
The cross-eyed planthopper is a fascinating insect with a quirky look. These small bugs feature oversized wings and eyes that seem misaligned, making them look a bit comical. It’s unclear why their eyes are crossed, but it might help them spot predators or attract mates more effectively. Their large eyes could also help them navigate and forage for food better.
Found in various parts of the world like Africa, Asia, and the Americas, cross-eyed planthoppers are often seen on plants and trees, where their camouflaged wings help them blend into their environment seamlessly.
Fulgoridae
The Fulgoridae is a large family of planthopper insects, with more than 12,000 species found mostly in the tropics. Some have adapted to live in deserts and other dry regions, while a few can even be found in the cold climates of the Arctic Circle in Alaska.
These insects are generally medium to large in size and are often mistaken for moths and butterflies because of their bright and varied colors. These species are known as one of the most colorful insects worldwide. Many species in this family are often called “lanternflies” or “lanthorn flies,” although they don’t actually emit any light.
Derbid planthopper
The Derbidae family, part of the true bugs in the Hemiptera order, is among the largest and most diverse groups of planthoppers. This family includes 160 genera and 1,679 species, ranking it as the third most species-rich family of planthoppers, behind only the Cixiidae and Delphacidae. In regions north of Mexico, the Derbidae is represented by 14 genera and 70 species.
You can easily identify derbid planthoppers by a row of spines on the second segment of their hind legs and a short tip on their beak. The larvae typically live in rotting wood and are believed to feed on fungus. In contrast, the adults consume the sap from plant phloem.
Water hyacinth planthopper (Megamelus scutellaris)
The water hyacinth planthopper is a small insect with a size of about 3-4 mm in length. It has a distinctive helmet-like scutellum covering most of its abdomen. Adults can be either wingless or winged. The planthopper produces several overlapping generations each year.
Native to South America, this species has been introduced to help control the invasive water hyacinth weed. It eats leaves and stems of water hyacinth, stressing the plants and making them more prone to disease. With intense feeding, the plants may even wilt and die. These insects tend to thrive better in shaded areas, which likely helps increase humidity and their survival.
Black planthopper (Ricania speculum)
The black planthopper is an agricultural pest in warm regions. It loves to snack on crops like coffee, apples, oil palms, and citrus fruits. You can find it all over Asia, from China, Korea, the Philippines, Japan, to Vietnam. But it’s causing trouble in northern Italy now too, probably hitching a ride on plants people brought over.
The grown-up bugs are around 8 millimeters in length and have wings that span about 15 millimeters. Their wings are dark brown with wavy lines across the middle and clear spots here and there. These bugs are most active around sunset, and they only have one generation each year. Their eggs spend the winter hiding in branch bark and then hatch in the spring.
Passionvine hopper (Scolypopa australis)
The passionvine hopper is originally from Australia but has become a big problem in Australia and New Zealand. This planthopper species belongs to the Ricaniidae family and looks like a small brown moth, about 5-6 mm long.
They eat the juice from lots of different plants like flowers, avocados, passionfruit, kiwifruit, veggies, and native plants. When these bugs gather in big groups, they can make plants weak or even kill them, and they can spread plant diseases too.
When they eat, they leave behind a sweet liquid called honeydew. This stuff can attract ants and bees. In New Zealand, if they eat the juice from a plant called the tutu shrub, the honey made from it can be poisonous to humans, making them sick and confused.
Sugarcane planthopper (Pyrilla perpusilla)
The sugarcane planthopper is a big problem for sugarcane in Asia. This pest is a member of the Lophopidae family. It boasts a yellow-brown body with a wingspan of about 17 – 20 mm wide, with the males’ wings being larger.
Both young and adult planthoppers suck on the sap from the underside of sugarcane leaves, close to the middle vein. This makes them turn yellow, dry up, and do less photosynthesis. These bugs also leave a sticky honeydew that encourages mold growth, making it harder for plants to make photosynthesis. Early attacks of these planthoppers, when the cane is growing, can lower the amount of cane you get, and if they strike later, they can lower the sugar level in the cane.
Dictyophara europaea
Dictyophara europaea, also called the European lantern fly, is a type of planthopper. It’s part of the Dictyopharidae family. These bugs are usually smaller than another related family called Fulgoridae, and they usually have a longer head.
The young nymphs of this bug can look different depending on their stage. The nymphs at the first and fifth instar have set colors, like two-tone or all green. But the ones in the middle stages can have all sorts of colors.
When they grow up, these bugs have a light green body that’s sort of oval-shaped. Their head sticks out with two strong lines on the sides and one in the middle. Their wings are see-through with green lines running through them, and the tips of their wings make a pattern. The top part of their body also has lines on it. Their front wings are about the same size as their back ones. There’s also another type of this bug that’s less common, and it’s pinkish instead of green.
These planthoppers are commonly seen in Europe. They are pests and spread plant diseases and eat many different kinds of plants.
Otiocerus degeeri
The next type of planthopper on our list is the Otiocerus degeeri. It’s pretty tiny, about 10mm long from head to wings. One cool thing about it is its colorful appearance—it can be red, pink, or purple, with reddish veins on its wings and dark spots in between. You can find these bugs in North America, particularly in places like South Carolina and North Carolina.
Euricania facialis
The last planthopper species on the list is the Euricania facialis – a type of bug that looks like a small moth. It has green and brown colors and can be found in Taiwan, China, and Japan. This bug is active during the daytime.
