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Project Noah Nature School
Teleonemia scrupulosa
Flat, rectangular bug about 3 mm long that is beaded or lace looking. The antennae are thick and in three segments, short on each end and a long segment in the middle. The thorax has 5 ridges including the outside edge.
Lantana that's intertwined in a rose bush under Bougainvillea. This species was "introduced in many countries where Lantana is considered a noxious weed. Feeding damages leaves and prevents development of flower buds."
"They are called lace bugs because the pronotum and forewings of the adult have a delicate and intricate network of divided areas that resemble lace. Their body appearance is flattened dorso-ventrally and they can be broadly oval or slender. Often the head is concealed under the hood-like pronotum. Lace bugs are usually host specific and can be very destructive to plants. Most feed on the undersides of leaves by piercing the epidermis and sucking the sap. The then empty cells give the leaves a bronzed or silvery appearance. Each individual usually completes its entire life cycle on the same plant, if not the same part of the plant." - Wikipedia
Spotted on May 18, 2013
Submitted on May 18, 2013
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