| Laternaria candelaria | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Fulgoridae |
| Genus: | Laternaria |
| Species: | L. candelaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Laternaria candelaria (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
Laternaria candelaria (Pyrops candelarius and Fulgora candelaria in older literature) is a species of lantern fly that lives in Hong Kong, Laos and Thailand, and other parts of southeast Asia. It is the type of the genus Laternaria erected by Linnaeus, although he originally named the species as Cicada candelaria.[1] Despite their name, lantern flies do not emit light. Like all lantern flies, L. candelaria is a type of planthopper. As such it is a vegetarian. It feeds on the sap from longan and lychee trees, among others. Its long, needle shaped mouth piece is used to pierce tree bark to reach the sap. They are often sought out by collectors.