Tiny Amazonian Bug Looks Like a Walking Piece of Popcorn

[Judi Lynn]

by Matthew Hart
Dec 3 2020 • 3:05 PM

The insect world is filled to the brim with strange, diminutive bugs that fly, murder, and dazzle—sometimes all at the same time. But the Ecuadorian Planthopper Nymph, tiny as it may be, still manages to stand out amongst its beautifully weird peers. Mainly because it wouldn’t stand out at all in say, a bucket of movie popcorn.

The late independent scientist, Andreas Kay, shot the above video of the Ecuadorian Nymph. Kay, who explored Ecuador’s biodiversity while alive, captured the video as the puffy insect ran around on his finger.

The little piece of speeding popcorn (which comes via PetaPixel) is one of the roughly 12,500 known planthopper species on Earth. Planthoppers are bugs that resemble plants native to their own environments. And, as their name suggests, planthoppers are also able to “hop” about for quick transportation.



Andreas Kay

This particular planthopper, the Flatid Planthopper Nymph, not only looks like it’d be the ideal candidate for a “pass the butter” bot bath, but also has some unique functionality. Apparently, this Nymph, like some others, is able to produce wax from glands from around its body. This wax is hydrophobic (it repels water), and helps to protect the popcorn bug. As well as any eggs it may have. (How’s your appetite now, huh?!)

More:
https://nerdist.com/article/bug-that-looks-like-popcorn-planthopper-nymph/

[samnsara]

1. in the course of natural selection how did that even survive?

...it looks like walking bird food!

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Or just forest debris. They mostly move slowly, so birds don't really notice them.

Planthoppers are actually an enormously successful clade of insects, and many produce waxy excretions.

I thought they would be closely related to scale insects, such as the lac insects, but not really all that close, as it turns out. More like parallel evolution.

[Tracyjo]

2. Would you look at that thing

I learn something every darn day here.

[parkia00]

4. Reminds me of an 18th Century French Nobleman...

with the fluffy white wig.