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Project Noah Nature School
Geisha mariginellus
Flatidae; Flatinae; Phyllyphantini; Geisha mariginellus Walker, 1858. As explained in Notes below, I encountered three groups of G. mariginellus during my walk in the countryside. The above pictures show the three planthoppers in this first group. The copious amount of white waxy filament, left on the host plant by nymphs, probably indicates that there had been more than the three specimens that I saw.
Spotted on unidentified foliage along the roadside.
On Feb. 8, I went out into the local countryside on a little bug hunt to get some pictures for Project Noah. I do this occasionally because even just a short walk, in the surrounding hills, sometimes reveals species that are difficult to find around our house and farm. On this trip, I was lucky enough to find three separate groups of Flatid Planthoppers. They were all Geisha mariginellus. So, when I returned home and started sorting out my pictures, my plan was to pick out five or six good photos and present them as one spotting of that species. However, I quickly realized that it should not be done that way because the habitats, whilst similar, were several hundred yards apart. Obviously, I could only pinpoint one habitat location on the satellite image and the other two could not be shown. So, I decided to post three spottings. I mention all of this simply because I think it might look rather odd if done without explanation.
Spotted on Feb 8, 2023
Submitted on Feb 13, 2023
3 Comments
Evolution has always been an arms-race between species, different species use different tactics to ensure survival. Some form symbiosis between them(as nursing ants and plant-lice), others camouflage(ex. the walking stick) or chemical deterrents(ex. bombardier beetles), some move slow(ex. sloths), others fast(ex. cheetah). It might be adaptation of several tactics when it comes to plant-hoppers, the filaments could serve as a deterrent and camouflage, in addition the nymphs are moving slow to avoid detection. For now we live in a world society that generally embraces free speech, so different ideas than what is established through main-stream consensus should always be welcome, no matter how far fetched it might seem. Your spottings and the information you provide, be it hard facts or your hypothesis, is interesting for me to read, I hope you continue to do so in the future. Don't worry about taking time to like everything I post, I don't do it for the likes, though it's nice when people do. Have a nice day John B.
Hi thewndrr,
thank you for your comment. When I first learned about the white substance associated with Planthopper nymphs, I had some questions. Most of the information available refers to it as a form of camouflage which enables the nymph to hide from predators. Well, I think that would be just fine for any Planthoppers who happen to live in Finland in the winter. I am sure the predators would have a hard time spotting a white nymph in the snow. But these little guys are walking around on green plants in the tropics. It seems that wearing a white coat doesn't make them conspicuous enough. So, they rub the white all over their habitat to ensure that it can be spotted by a half-blind octogenarian 20 yards away. I know that those who believe the "camouflage theory" will point out that once a large part of the host plant is covered in white, then the nymph sits on the white and becomes difficult to see. That is utter nonsense. Over the millenia, predators would surely have learned that a white patch on a plant is the place to go for a snack. I think it is much more likely that predators have learned not to eat that stuff because it tastes awful. If I am right, then it is not camouflage. It is a chemical deterrent. Anyway, enough of my hare-brained ideas. If you want some conventional information, please look at https://insectic.com/planthopper-life-cy....... By the way, I always like your spottings, but I don't always have time to open them, click on the "like" and close them again. I spend most of my time trying to put together one or two spottings each day for Project Noah. The spottings are not the problem. As you have surely noticed, the problem is trying to suppress my unscientific ideas :-) Best regards, John B.
Interesting, so the cotton-like threads are filaments left by the planthopper nymphs. I've seen this before, on various plants. But I didn't know what it was until now, illuminating info John B. Thanks.