🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

Dictyopharidae is the 6th largest family of planthoppers worldwide, with 156 genera and 720 species at present (Bourgoin 2016). Dictyopharidae is represented north of Mexico by 14 genera and 85 species. The southwest includes nearly all species known from the contiguous United States.

Dictyopharids feed on a variety of plants with adults and nymphs both found on above-ground portions of plants. Most species are associated with dicots in a variety of plant families, and are most often reported as monophagous (Wilson et al. 1994).

The species seen in these images is nicknamed the cross-eyed planthopper, and is listed as found in Indonesia.

> In the time between hatching and becoming full-grown adults, tiny planthopper nymphs put on a flashy show. The planthoppers can secrete a waxy substance from their abdomen that results in strange, fiber optic-like tails. These decorations serve at least two purposes: to encourage predators to "ooh, ahh" instead of eating them, and to help them glide as they fall.