Ross's Web Spinner vs Columbian Flower Planthopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ross's Web Spinner Columbian Flower Planthopper
Scientific Name Chelicerca rubra Poekilloptera phalaenoides
Order Embioptera Hemiptera
Family Chelicercidae Flatidae
Size 8.0-12.0 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Africa Central America, South America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Ross's Web Spinner

A reddish-brown web spinner found in tropical Africa that builds silk tunnels on tree bark. It is one of the more brightly colored embiopterans.

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Did You Know?

The reddish coloration of this web spinner is unusual in the order, as most species are drab brown or black.

Columbian Flower Planthopper

A large and spectacular flatid with broad white wings marked with black spots, closely resembling a moth. Groups of nymphs produce masses of white waxy filaments on branches.

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Did You Know?

Clusters of waxy-coated nymphs on a branch can look like a fungal growth or cotton mass, providing effective communal camouflage.