Bizarre Hopper Nymph - Orientus ishidae

Orientus ishidae

The pattern on the head and the contrastingly white "feet" are characteristic of this introduced Asian species.

… Andy Hamilton, 2 October, 2006 - 8:22am

Thank you!

Are you the resident hopper expert?

… Ashley Bradford, 2 October, 2006 - 9:32am

expert?

You will find my credentials on http://www.canacoll.org/Hemip/Staff/Hamilton/Hamilton.htm

… Andy Hamilton, 2 October, 2006 - 3:31pm

Very nice!!

Glad you're on this team! =) Wish I'd gotten a shot of the little "horned" hopper that landed on my hand yesterday - never seen one like that before, and I'd like to ask you what it was. Oh well - it seems I must be ever-vigilant with my camera at my side!

… Ashley Bradford, 2 October, 2006 - 3:37pm

"horned" hoppers

Look in Scolops (Dictyopharidae) or Campylenchia and Enchenopa (Membracidae).

… Andy Hamilton, 3 October, 2006 - 8:12am

Thanks!

But they were actualy a pair of little horns, like devil horns or cat ears.

… Ashley Bradford, 3 October, 2006 - 9:14am

Is this the guy?

Is this they guy? I photographed him on the last day of September. Looks like cat ears to me.

… Stephen Cresswell, 3 October, 2006 - 5:17pm

That looks right!

Thanks for solving my mystery, at least until I can get a shot myself to make sure. =)

… Ashley Bradford, 3 October, 2006 - 6:12pm

Looks like Coelidia olitoria

images in the guide here

… john and jane balaban, 21 September, 2006 - 4:49pm

I thought so too

I thought so too when I saw this this morning, but then I began to think the head looked different, the area between the eyes. The eyes themselves look different to me too. But maybe I'm imagining it.

… Stephen Cresswell, 21 September, 2006 - 5:51pm

Well, we think Andy Hamilton will be back

to help us in early October, so we should find out then!

… john and jane balaban, 21 September, 2006 - 7:13pm

Comparison

This is the photo I was comparing to. It sure looks like the distance between the eyes is much less in the photo below than in the photo on this page. But probably it is just a trick of the camera angle, the image size, etc.

… Stephen Cresswell, 22 September, 2006 - 3:48am

You're right -

the eyes do look very different. The ones in the blue specimen are sunken in as well as appearing closer together. I wonder if maybe it was sick, or had freshly molted and was still soft, or something else?

… Ashley Bradford, 22 September, 2006 - 8:54am

Hmmm

You may be right. The other thing to think about is that hopper nymphs go through five instars, and maybe mine is an earlier instar than yours.

… Stephen Cresswell, 22 September, 2006 - 2:39pm

That would make sense -

I was thinking the face seemed not as well-formed as mine's. Maybe that's why.

… Ashley Bradford, 22 September, 2006 - 3:18pm

Thanks for the guess -

judging from the comment about the upturned abdomen being distinctive, it looks like you got it. Wow, what a wild collection of colorforms! Fantastic! I wonder what the purpose is of the upturned abdomen?

… Ashley Bradford, 21 September, 2006 - 9:32pm