Observer

Leuba Ridgway

Species

• Creiis corniculatus / Eastern Horn Lerp ¹

  id. by: Leuba Ridgway

Tags / Aspects

none

Description

These were small slightly flattened trumpet-shaped lerps spotted on eucalyptus leaves. The broader part of these lerps were transparent and appeared fragile. Each of these lerps appeared to have a nymph inside with their pale orange bodies clearly visible through the transparent lerp shell.
Unlike lerps of Glycaspis species, I could not see any ants crawling around these lerps. I assume therefore that these lerps are not made of the same material as the Glycaspis species. Also, this species of Creiis lerps seemed keratinous. Various birds feed on lerps but a study on lerp-feeding by birds suggests that birds avoided the Creiis species of lerps.
Spotted on Mugga Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) in the Cocoparra National Park, New South Wales

Collections

Date & Time

  2017-07-26 09:30 AM