The subfamilyAphaeninae is a group of hemipteraninsects, especially abundant and diverse in the tropics. They belong to the Fulgoridae (fulgorids), though they are not among the better-known members of that family that are called "lantern bugs" or "lanternflies" (although as true bugs they are only distantly related to true flies). In 2009, the first molecular analysis of the Fulgoridae challenged the existing structure of eight currently recognized subfamilies and eleven tribes.
Aphaeninae contain a number of well-sized fulgorids. If seen flying at a distance, they can be mistaken for Lepidoptera, as they are large winged and boldly patterned, although usually not as colorful as some other fulgorids.
The future of the Aphaeninae as a subfamily is unclear since the species assigned to it are interlineated in the molecular analysis with species of other Fulgoridae subfamilies.[1][2] The tribe Enchophorini, previously placed here, has been raised to a subfamily.
Spotted lanternfly is a fulgorid native to temperate Southeast Asia, which is an invasive speciesinSouth Korea, Japan, and the United States. It can cause significant problems for vineyards, fruit trees, ornamentals, and forests.[8] It feeds on a variety of crops, and the sugary sap it excretes, known as honeydew, encourages a fungal growth called sooty mold that can kill plants by blocking photosynthesis.[9] In September 2021 a boy included one of these rare and dangerous insects in his bug collection at the Kansas State Fair, triggering a federal investigation because the lanternfly had previously not been found farther west than southeastern Indiana.[9]
^Urban, Julie M.; Cryan, Jason R. (2009). "Entomologically famous, evolutionarily unexplored: the first phylogeny of the lanternfly family Fulgoridae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea)". Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution. 50 (3): 471–484. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.12.004. PMID19118634.
^Constant, Jerome (2010). "The lanternfly genus Penthicodes: key to the species and review of the "Ereosoma group" with two new species and one new subspecies (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)". Zootaxa. 2523: 1–26. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2523.1.1. Abstract
^Constant, Jerome (2013). "The Oriental lanternfly genus Scamandra: new species and taxonomical notes (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)". Zootaxa. 3709 (2): 134–148. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3709.2.2. PMID26240901.
^Liang, Ai-Ping (1995). "Taxonomic changes in oriental Fulgoroidea (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha)". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 103 (2): 162–164. JSTOR25010151.
Media related to Aphaeninae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Aphaeninae at Wikispecies
