Bordered Plant Bug vs Lanternfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bordered Plant Bug Lanternfly
Scientific Name Largus californicus Pyrops candelaria
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Largidae Fulgoridae
Size 12-17 mm 25-30 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bordered Plant Bug

A dark blue-black bug with bright orange margins common in arid parts of California. Nymphs are iridescent blue and gather in large groups.

💡

Did You Know?

Nymphs cluster in spectacular iridescent blue groups that can number in the hundreds on a single plant.

Lanternfly

Striking planthoppers with elongated snouts once believed to be luminous (hence lanternfly). The extended head process function remains debated — possibly for mimicry or balance.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite the name "lanternfly," these insects do not actually produce light — early naturalists mistakenly believed their elongated snouts glowed in the dark.