Spider-face Wattle Hopper - Gelastopsis insignis

Family Eurybrachyidae 

This page contains pictures and information about Spider-face Wattle Hoppers that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia
 
Body length 9mm
 
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This species of planthoppers are a bit smaller in size than the Platybrachys that we found. They are brown in colour with red abdomen. The brown colours vary from pale brown to dark brown amount individual, but their patterns on wings are about the same.
 
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We found them in Karawatha Park in early summer. Karawatha Park is a Eucalyptus forest with different species of gum trees and wattle trees. 
 
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We found this planthopper on two different species of wattle trees. Once we recognized their host plants, they are not difficult to found. Group of them can be found on the same plants.  
 
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We notice that some of them rested on stems with broken bark, where may be easier for them to feed. However, we are not sure if those broken bark are the result of their feeding or damaged by other animals.
 
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The adults and nymphs can be found on the same plant. The nymphs usually rested on young green stems.
 
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Above two pictures were taken in Alexandra Hill bushland. The planthoppers can easily be found on the Black Wattles.
 
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Eggs covered with white waxy material on Wattle leaf, diameter 20-30mm. Pictures taken in Karawatha Forest during mid summer.
 
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1st instars, body length 3mm
They are found on the bottom side of a Acacia leaf during late summer in Alexandra Hill.   
 
 

 
 
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We also found them in Toohey Forest during early winter. Both adults and nymphs were found on the same tree. 
 

Jumping Spider Mimicking 

We noticed one interesting behaviour of this planthopper. It mimics the Jumping Spider.
 
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They like to rest on stems of about 10mm diameter. When we came close, they walked sideway and moved to the opposite side of the stem. This escape strategy was quite effective on stems of 10mm diameter. The group of planthoppers disappeared from our eyes in tenths of a seconds.
 
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When we came more closer, they walk forwards or backwards along the stem. They seldom change their facing direction unless walking backwards and blocked by something. They jumped and flied away when we touch them by figures.    
 
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With more observations, we found that sometimes we confused the planthopper with the jumping spider Zenodorus orbiculatus which can also be found on the same host tree stems. Looked closer to the planthopper, we noticed the eyes pattern on the planthopper's frons, which made us think it was a jumping spider. 
 
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The planthopper may not look like a jumping spider in the human point of view. Imagine if you were an ant or a jumping spider walking along the 10mm thick stem. When you met the planthopper, most likely you will see the planthopper face to face. At this angle, the planthopper looks like a jumping spider.
 
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This also explained why the planthopper only move sideway, forwards and backwards but seldom turn around. For if it turns, the mimicking will fail.
 
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The jumping-spider-mimicking may help the planthopper to avoid some predators, such as ants and even the jumping spiders. We did see the Zenodorus orbiculatus prey on ant. 
 
Together with our observations on another planthopper Platybrachys vidua, its backwards movement and eyes-pattern on wing tips to mimic larger animal. We speculate the planthoppers adapted the backward movement first, and then eyes-pattern on frons and on wing tips individually in evolution later.
 
We have more discussions in our Mimicry and Camouflage pages.

The Host Plants 

We found this planthoppers on the following species of wattles.
 
Black Wattle
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Acacia leiocalyx subsp. leiocalyx, family Mimosaceae 
 
Black Wattle
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Acacia leiocalyx subsp. herveyensis, family Mimosaceae 
 
The planthoppers can also be found on Golden Wattle
 

Reference and link:
1. Gelastopsis insignis - Fletcher, M.J. and Larivière, M.-C. (2001 and updates).
2. Gelastopsis insignis - Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Heritage. 

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Up ] Green Face Gum Hopper ] White-marked Gum Hopper ] Eye-patterned Gum Hopper ] [ Spider-face Wattle Hopper ] Green Face Wattle Hopper ] Dardus Wattle Hopper ]

 


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Last updated: September 10, 2006.