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Project Noah Nature School
Hyalinaspis rubra
This red nymph scale insect was hiding beneath its wax covering. The lerps are expanded as the nymph grows in size and is abandoned when the insect reaches its winged adult stage. Two undetermined tiny yellow insects were roaming around and they might be 'crawlers' hatchling psyllids before they construct their own lerp. There seems to be an endless range of lerp patterns that these psyllids build.
Eucalyptus leaf.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/200... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/164... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/880... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/881... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/789... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/877... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/881... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/866...
Spotted on Apr 13, 2013
Submitted on Apr 13, 2013
10 Comments
coccidae make a cover like this,
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/212...
The lerp, to be accurate refers to the cover, which is not alive at all. It covers the psyllid, (or lerp insect). Sometimes 'lerp' is used to refer to the insect hiding underneath.
The coccidae (family) are scale insects and I believe they make no similar cover. Their skin is thick and waxy.
So The lerps are insects and lerp is a protective cover. Can the "lerp" be considered a living creature?does it have tubes to breathe with?
How about the cover made by "coccids"?
Thanks for your reply, Martini.
I was just about to post the answer I found to my question.
"Lerps insects are close relatives of Scale Insects. Like Scale Insects, they are sap suckers and often aggregate in colonies. They insert their stylets, or mouthparts, into the plant and begin feeding and constructing a lerp, the protection cover. Lerps are formed from the honeydew excreted by the insects. The honeydew hardens on contact with air to form the protection. Lerps vary in size and shape. Each species has its own characteristic. They can be cones, univalves, bivalves or fan shapes"http://www.oocities.org/brisbane_softbugs/LerpsInsects.htm
So basically,Lerps are close relatives of scale insects,
BTW this is a great spotting and gives an insight into the dome formation. Thanks for sharing..
Lerps (psyllids) and scale insects (coccids) are both soft bugs. A lerp is a sugary shell secreted produced by the insect nymph of most psyllids as a protective cover. They emerge as winged plant lice. Scale insects have waxy skin and include waxy scales (family = coccidae) and sometimes other groups like gall forming scale insects (eriococcidae) mealy bugs (pseudococcidae) too.
http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/p...
so are lerps and scale insects similar?
I understand that they molt about five times and double in size between molts. This red one is a penultimate instar and has pro wings already. I think the small ones (there are two) are possibly hatchlings. If so, they are called 'crawlers'. They were quite active. .
COOL!
These little guys can make their own dome-shaped shelter.
There is a much tinnier bug seen next to it in picture 1 and 3
Thanks Leuba.
Of course its Latin name rubra = red.
Very nice, Martin. Love the colour of the nymph !