Fun Flatid Planthopper Facts For Kids

In this article, we shall be talking about a pest that primarily lived in the North American continent but now can be found in European countries like Austria, France, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Moldova.

The citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) is a tiny pest that belongs to the class Insecta and family Flatidae. They have a waxy coating on their skin.

The skin color of adult insects ranges from gray-green to brown. The young planthoppers or nymphs have a white waxy coating on their body. One adult planthopper can be as long as 0.2-0.3 in (5.5-8 mm), and their body width can vary between 0.07-0.12 in (2-3 mm).

They have a peculiar body shape. The front body is normally round-shaped, but when it travels backward, it gets vertically flattened.

They have huge wings compared to their size. The wings cover their entire body when they are at rest. These wings are also covered in a waxy surface with white tiny spots on them.

These small insects invade trees in search of sap. And in the breeding season, they lay their eggs on those tree branches and leaves.

Hope you liked your small read till here! Further, we shall discuss some interesting and really funny facts related to this pest. So keep reading!

And if you are someone who likes reading insect facts, then I hope you will also enjoy our articles on crab spider facts and bark scorpion facts.

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Flatid Planthopper Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a flatid planthopper?

Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) are small insects that are mainly found in North America.

What class of animal does a flatid planthopper belong to?

The citrus flatid planthopper belongs to the class Insecta, family Flatidae, order Hemiptera, and genus Metcalfa. Their binomial nomenclature is Metcalfa pruinosa.

How many flatid planthoppers are there in the world?

There is no exact information available on their population count. These insects (pests) are commonly found in the North American continent.

Where does a flatid planthopper live?

Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) insects can be found in trees and shrubs. They mainly live in plants like trees and shrubs and feed on sap. They can be seen on leaves and branches.

What is a flatid planthopper's habitat?

The citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) insect inhabits the North American continent. These insect species recently can also be found in the continent of Europe. In Europe, they can be found in the countries namely Austria, France, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Moldova.

Who does flatid planthopper live with?

Insects are not very social, except some like leafcutter ants and honey bees. Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) insect lives on its own. They don't depend on their fellow species for any help. They come together in their breeding season.

How long does a flatid planthopper live?

There is no exact information regarding the exact life span of a flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa). They are univoltine or monovoltine species that give birth to one generation a year.

How do they reproduce?

These insect species from the Flatidae family breed during the fall in North America. They search for their partner and then indulge in the act of breeding.

After breeding, female insects lay around 100 eggs before winter. These eggs hatch at the arrival of spring, releasing lots of (nymph) planthoppers. Because of their huge population, the birth rate of these pests are suppressed every year.

What is their conservation status?

Citrus flatid planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) are tiny insects that inhabit North America and can be commonly seen there. So counting their population is somewhat impossible. Citrus flatid planthopper are Not Evaluated by the IUCN, so they have no conservation status tag on them.

Flatid Planthopper Fun Facts

What does flatid planthopper look like?

Flatid planthoppers are tiny insects who inhabit citrus trees, shrubs, and crop fields. Adult flatid planthoppers can grow to a maximum length of 0.2-0.3 in (5.5-8 mm). After birth, the flatid planthopper nymph are white in color.

Adult planthoppers are gray-green, brown in color. They have big wings compared to their body.

And on those wings, they have small white spots. Their big eyes are yellow in color, and their mouth is designed for sucking sap from plants. Their front body is somewhat spindle-shaped, but their hind body is vertically flattened.

How cute are they?

Citrus flatid planthoppers aren't typically seen as cute but they are certainly fascinating to learn about! 

How do they communicate?

There is no information on how planthoppers communicate. They might communicate through body language or through chemicals they secret from their body.

How big is a flatid planthopper?

Flatid planthoppers are tiny invertebrates that can be found in North American and European countries. Adult planthoppers grow to a maximum length range of 0.2-0.3 in (5.5-8 mm). The maximum body width is estimated between 0.07-0.12 in (2-3 mm).

How fast can a flatid planthopper move?

Northern flatid planthopper is called a 'planthopper' because of its habit of performing jumps from plants to plants. However, they can also fly at a good speed, but there is no recorded information about their exact flight speed.

How much does a flatid planthopper weigh?

There is no exact information available for this question. But after studying other planthoppers, it can be said that their weight varies around 0.07 oz (1.9 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names given to male and female planthoppers. They don't differ much in shape or size and can't be easily differentiated by just seeing them.

What would you call a baby flatid planthopper?

Baby flatid planthopper is known as a nymph. Nymphs are basically white in color with a waxy skin surface. They are univoltine, also known as monovoltine species, which give rise to one generation in a year.

What do they eat?

Description of citrus flatid planthoppers diet is very simple. These insects primarily feed on sap.

After they feed on sap, they release the excess sugar as honeydew which the bees tend to collect and assimilate and turn into honey later on. They inhabit crop plants and feed on sap. Because of the immense population which feeds on those host plants, those plants get destroyed ultimately.

Are they poisonous?

Not really. They just feed on host plants like citrus trees or ornamental trees (kept as decorations). They may cause harm to vegetation but cause no harm to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

Keeping an insect as a pet won't be a wise decision. And that too, a tiny one! Flatid planthoppers are best left in their natural environment.

Did you know...

There are more than 20 families, 1400 genera, and 12000 species of flatid planthoppers available on the Earth. One of the common planthopper species is the green leafhopper.

How do you get rid of flatid planthoppers?

Citrus flatid planthopper control isn't that easy. They are fast-moving, agile insects that are hard to catch. But there are some ways which can help you in preventing them from destroying plants.

Take proper care of the plants. Search for planthoppers every day and manually remove them.

Wash the plants and occasionally use pesticides in the field.

Place sticky traps to catch multiple planthoppers.

Application of insecticidal soap water can kill nymphs and larvae.

Is a planthopper an invertebrate?

Yes, planthoppers are invertebrates in nature. And they are not arachnids. They have six legs like other insects. Arachnids are those insects that have eight legs, like scorpions and ground spiders.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these grasshopper facts and common wasp facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable planthopper coloring pages.

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