Brown planthopper

Natural Habitat

Rice paddies and fields where rice is cultivated. They primarily infest rice plants.

Diet & Feeding

They feed exclusively on the sap of rice plants, typically at the base of the plant stem, using their piercing-sucking mouthparts.

Behavior Patterns

Dimorphic, can be winged or wingless. Long-winged forms are migratory and can disperse over long distances. They reproduce rapidly, leading to quick population growth, and lay eggs inside the leaf sheaths of rice plants.

Risks & Benefits

Significant agricultural pest, causing 'hopperburn' which leads to wilting and death of rice plants, resulting in substantial crop losses. They also transmit rice viruses like Rice Ragged Stunt Virus and Rice Grassy Stunt Virus. No known benefits.

Identified on: 10/4/2025