Mountain creature — with ‘pale blue’ wings — found in Thailand. See the new species
In the northern mountains of Thailand, one small creature blends into the green and brown forest landscape.
Then, it takes flight and vibrant colors stand out in stark contrast as its green outer wings spread to reveal the blue color underneath.
It’s an Asian lanternfly — and a new species.
About an inch long, the lanternfly has an “elongated, slender” protrusion from the front of its head that turns slightly upwards, according to a study published June 6 in the journal Zootaxa.
The protrusion is covered in small black and white dots that continue onto its head before becoming larger black dots on its body, according to the study.
Large yellow dots cover the lanternflies’ hardened outer wings on top of a bright green color.
When the outer wings open, a second set of delicate wings, called the hind wings, are exposed.
They are a “uniformly pale blue” color, according to the study.
Saiva constanti jiaranaisakul, as the new species was named, is not only important to understanding lanternflies as a whole, but it holds great sentimental value to its discoverer.
“One of the goals I set when I began seriously studying lanternflies was to name a species in honor of those who have been a driving force, an inspiration and a mentor to me,” entomologist Kawin Jiaranaiskul said in a June 6 Facebook post.
“However, it took many years to find a suitable species to name after this person, and additional years to gather enough specimens to be confident that it was indeed a new species,” Jairanaisakul wrote. “Finally, after overcoming many obstacles, the lanternfly with a distinctive appearance, fitting to bear the name in honor of this person, has been officially published.”
The new species is named after Jérôme Constant, an entomologist from Belgium, according to the study, for “all his support of the first author.”
The new species was discovered in northern Thailand, along the border with Myanmar.
While native to southeast Asia, one lanternfly has become invasive in the eastern United States, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The spotted lanternfly, white with black spots and a bright red hind wing, first appeared in Pennsylvania in 2014 and now leaves “destruction in its wake” in the northeast, the federal agency says.
The invasive insect has since been found in at least 15 states, McClatchy News reported in 2023.
This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Mountain creature — with ‘pale blue’ wings — found in Thailand. See the new species."
