SPECIES Fulgora laternaria
ORIGIN Peru
FRAME 18.5 x 18.5xD5cm Made from recycled products.
DESCRIPTION AKA peanut head bug. Specimens can grow to 8 cm. Its mouth is like a straw; it can not bite, so all it can do is suck juices from plants. In the rainforest from Mexico to Argentina where this bug is found, there are so many things that want to eat the Peanut-head Bug that it needs a lot of defenses. Scientists think that the head is supposed to imitate a lizard’s head, a complex anti-predator scheme the bug uses. The Peanut-head Bug has large spots on its underwings that look like large eyes when the bug spreads its wings. If these don’t scare away predators, the bug releases a skunk-like spray.
Other common names: Peanut bug, Peanut-headed lanternfly and Alligator bug
minor split in wing - see image with red arrow
