Planthopper parasite moth
Fulgoraecia exigua
The planthopper parasite moth is a tiny moth from North America. Its caterpillar does something very unusual for a caterpillar. Instead of eating leaves, it rides on other insects and feeds on them.
Lives in
The United States, from New Jersey to Florida and west to California
Wingspan
0.8 to 1.3 cm (0.31 to 0.51 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It only lives on other insects.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillar lives on planthoppers and cicadas and drinks their body juice, which is insect blood.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
ā½could fly across a whole football pitch in 47 seconds
How big is Planthopper parasite moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Planthopper parasite moth about 8 km/h (5 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its wings measure only about 1 centimetre from tip to tip.
2
Its caterpillar holds on to planthoppers and cicadas, small jumping and singing insects that suck plant juice.
3
The moths fly from June to October.
you asked
Most asked questions about Planthopper parasite moth
?What does the planthopper parasite moth eat?
Its caterpillar drinks the body juice of planthoppers and cicadas.
?Is the planthopper parasite moth dangerous to people?
No. It is tiny and harmless to people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Fulgoraecia exigua
- Named by
- H. Edwards, 1882
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Epipyropidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Epipyropidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Epipyrops exigua (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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