Here are some photographs of my favorite lepidopteran, the #planthopper parasite #moth (Fulgoraecia exigua). As the name suggests, it parasitizes planthoppers, with newly-emerged caterpillars tracking down hosts to attach to (I would love to see that), then sucking hemolymph until they are ready to pupate. They then unlatch and descend to nearby trees (or whatever; they don't care) via a silk thread. Also notable is its bizarre cocoon that looks like the Sydney Opera House. In my area (Pennsylvania, USA), these cocoons can be found on the trunks of almost every tree if you spend enough time looking. I.e., this moth is extremely common. Sadly, I've yet to find an attached #caterpillar but here's a link to some great pics on @inaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/7222689.

Also of note, now found in Canada: https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/eso/article/download/6733/6478.

#Lepidoptera #insect #entomology #Epipyropidae #ectoparasite #FulgoraeciaExigua