Jan Bommes - Abandoned Zoological Museum and Taxidermist's Office in Denmark, 2021
The Wax-tailed planthopper / Wax-tailed Hopper, or Pterodictya reticularis, is a planthopper species that belongs to the family Fulgoridae & related to treehoppers and cicadas
~ The Wax-tailed Planthopper has transparent wings with a reticulated pattern, which can create a fascinating, glasslike appearance when sunlight filters through them.
~ Wax-tailed Planthoppers subsist on the sap of plants, primarily from the phloem. Through their straw-shaped mouthparts, they sip the tree’s nectar and process the nutrients into ketoester waxes, which are utilized to create lengthy, plume-like structures.
~ The wax on the Wax-tail Planthoppers is not meant for decorative purposes but rather serves as a defense mechanism. It’s like a warm to predators that the insect has an unpleasant taste due to the accumulation of wax.
~ The Wax-tailed Planthopper has transparent wings with a reticulated pattern, which can create a fascinating, glasslike appearance when sunlight filters through them.
~ Wax-tailed Planthoppers subsist on the sap of plants, primarily from the phloem. Through their straw-shaped mouthparts, they sip the tree’s nectar and process the nutrients into ketoester waxes, which are utilized to create lengthy, plume-like structures.
~ The wax on the Wax-tail Planthoppers is not meant for decorative purposes but rather serves as a defense mechanism. It’s like a warm to predators that the insect has an unpleasant taste due to the accumulation of wax.