Lycorma punicea
| Lycorma punicea | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Auchenorrhyncha |
| Infraorder: | Fulgoromorpha |
| Family: | Fulgoridae |
| Genus: | Lycorma |
| Species: | L. punicea |
| Binomial name | |
| Lycorma punicea Hope, 1843 | |
Lycorma punicea is a planthopper species indigenous to parts of India, China, and Bangladesh.[1] L. punicea was originally discovered in 1843 by Frederick William Hope.
Taxonomy
[edit]Lycorma punicea is a species in the genus Lycorma, in the planthopper family Fulgoridae, subfamily Aphaeninae. Species within this genus are found in Asia.[2] It was originally described in 1843 by Frederick William Hope as Lystra punicea. This species was once considered a subspecies of Lycorma imperialis, but is now considered its own species.[3]
Description
[edit]Adult L. punicea range from 12 to 12.5 millimeters in length. The head, legs, abdomen, and thorax are a castaneous-red color. The tegmina is testaceous. 3/4ths of the tegmina are covered by dark, large spots, giving it a much darker appearance. The basal half of the hindwings are purplish-red with black spots, and a gray band across the wing just before the dark black apical area. It is similar to L. imperialis in appearance albeit being much smaller.[1]
Life cycle
[edit]Lycorma punicea is hemimetabolous, meaning that it goes through nymphal (instar) stages before molting into an adult, rather than having larval and pupal stages.[4] L. punicea lays eggs coated in a waxy layer much like the rest of the species in its genus during late fall to early winter, and hatches in the spring.
Distribution and ecology
[edit]Lycorma punicea is native to Sylhet, India (specifically the Assam and Dikrong Valley areas,) and parts of China.[1] L. punicea, along with the rest of the genus Lycorma, are parasitized by the eupelmid wasp Anastatus orientalis and by Dryinus sinicus, a dryinid wasp.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 W. L. Distant (1906). C. T. Bingham (ed.). "The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma - Rhynchota - Vol. III. (Heteoptera-Homoptera)" (PDF). www.hemiptera-databases.org. Taylor & Francis. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- 1 2 "Genus Lycorma Stal, 1863 – Planthoppers of North America". Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ↑ "TaxonPages: World Auchenorrhyncha Database - Lycorma punicea (Hope, 1843)". hoppers.speciesfile.org. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ↑ "Planthoppers". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
