Geisha distinctissima is a small, pale green planthopper that sits with its wings folded upright like a tiny tent. It's native to East Asia—Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan—and isn't found in the United States. A North American member of the same family, the citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa), is common here instead.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 1/4 in (5.5–7 mm) long, or about 3/8 in (9–11 mm) to the wing tips. The body is pale green, and the bluish-green forewings have a faint reddish tip. Seen from the side, the resting insect looks like a little triangle.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forests
- Plant stems
- Range
- East Asia: Japan (Honshu southward, including the Ryukyu Islands), Korea, China, and Taiwan. It isn't found in the United States.
Behavior
- Diet
- Sucks sap from the stems of many kinds of plants, wild and cultivated.
- Overwintering
- In Japan it has one generation a year; the eggs spend the winter tucked under the bark of dead twigs.
Life cycle
- Larva
- The wingless coat themselves in white wax from the tip of the abdomen, so the stems they gather on can look dusted with white powder.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.