Spotted lanternfly: an Asian exotic is moving westward from the East Coast

Abstract

The spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), is native to China and Vietnam. An early report that SLF occurs in India was described by the author as "doubtful" (Distant 1906); nevertheless, some papers have reported India within this insect's native range. SLF has also spread to Japan and Korea in recent decades, with the DNA in those populations matching very closely to populations in China (Kim et al. 2013). SLF was first reported in the USA in 2014, in Berks County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia (Barringer et al. 2015, Dara et al. 2015). As of early 2019, additional established populations of SLF have been found in small areas of Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia. In addition, SLF individuals have been collected at various locations in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York, but no established populations have yet been detected.

Citation

Haack, Robert A. 2019. Spotted lanternfly: an Asian exotic is moving westward from the East Coast. Newsletter of the Michigan Entomological Society. 63(1): 5-7.