Community identification
Lace Bug
Stephanitis sp. (or Corythucha sp.)
- Order & Family
- Order Hemiptera, Family Tingidae
- Size
- 2 mm to 8 mm in length
Natural Habitat
Inhabits the undersides of leaves on a wide variety of deciduous trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants.
Diet & Feeding
Herbivorous; they use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on the sap/cell contents of leaves.
Behavior Patterns
They are often seen in groups on the undersides of leaves. Both nymphs and adults leave dark, varnish-like fecal spots (frass) as they feed. They go through incomplete metamorphosis from egg to nymph to adult.
Risks & Benefits
They are considered landscape pests as their feeding causes 'stippling' or chlorosis (yellowing/silvering) on foliage, which can weaken the plant. They do not pose a direct health risk to humans or pets.