What the Fulgorid?

These aren't your typical tiny bugs. Fulgorids are outstanding sap-feeding insects and certain species are very rare to come across in the Peruvian Amazon; two large species in particular caught our attention and were particularly worthy of photo ops.

Commonly known as planthoppers, these insects come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Members of Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, are typically quite small, but the Lantern fly, aka peanut-headed bug, is actually pretty hefty for an insect.

The Lantern fly aka Peanut-headed bug

Introducing Fulgora lampetis. Can you tell why people call it the peanut-headed bug? This insect has a peanut-shaped protuberance which sports false eyes that may resemble that of a lizard or serpent. When threatened, the large insect will flash its hind wings that have bright yellow false eye spots.

Peanut-headed bug displaying false-eye spots on hind wings

What's incredibly odd is that there's a pretty serious myth surrounding this species. The insect inspires feelings of fear and aversion in some local populations, as some natives believe Fulgora laternaria bears a devastating poison that dries up trees on which it feeds and also kills both men and animals (Costa-Neto & Pacheco 2003). To quote one native man interviewed in the article,

"It has a sting in its belly. If it strikes a tree it dries up. It can be a jackfruit tree, it can be a coconut tree, whatever. Even if it strikes a person he/she will die. (Mr. M., 57 years old)."

While this large insect does sport piercing-sucking mouth parts, they are only used to suck the juices from plants and they don't harbor any deadly venom. Still, the myth perpetuates.

Next up we have another fulgorid: Phenax variegata. Thisbeauty was actually chilling in a lamp above some jungle lodge guests at dinner and Jeff and I just had to take some pictures.