Lace Bug (Tingidae) on Trask's Yerba Santa
This is a tiny Lace Bug (Tingidae, Heteroptera, Hemiptera) on a furry leaf of Trask's Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon traskiae, Boraginaceae). I believe this one is species Corythucha eriodictyonae, and it's probably host-specific. They really are small, about 750 pixels long in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 2.9 mm - less than 1/8 inch. (See here for how I figure.) We have different lace bugs on Wild Sweetpea that are bumpier and less spiky, compare this photo. These bugs both have remarkable net-like lattice-work on their body that reminds me of shogun-era samurai armor - but it also looks like bubble-wrap! You can see the eyes and antennae of the skinny bug inside the armor. (San Marcos Pass, 10 June 2019)
Lace Bug (Tingidae) on Trask's Yerba Santa
This is a tiny Lace Bug (Tingidae, Heteroptera, Hemiptera) on a furry leaf of Trask's Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon traskiae, Boraginaceae). I believe this one is species Corythucha eriodictyonae, and it's probably host-specific. They really are small, about 750 pixels long in this 1:1 macro shot, which comes to 2.9 mm - less than 1/8 inch. (See here for how I figure.) We have different lace bugs on Wild Sweetpea that are bumpier and less spiky, compare this photo. These bugs both have remarkable net-like lattice-work on their body that reminds me of shogun-era samurai armor - but it also looks like bubble-wrap! You can see the eyes and antennae of the skinny bug inside the armor. (San Marcos Pass, 10 June 2019)