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White Lace Lerp (Cardiaspina albitextura) Some psyllids build tiny houses from a sugary substance and cover with golden fairyfloss. (A bit like the witches house in Hansel and Gretel) <br />
The dome had a fine diagonal woven texture and the largest ones were about 6mm across. <br />
The creature itself was nymphal, shades of yellow with a soft, ribbed body, a couple of spots on either side, and a yellow mouth tube.<br />
I lifted one side of this lerp trying not to damage it and, being a sugary, mix I was able to moisten the raised edge and &#039;glue&#039; it back to the leaf. I think it worked well. I haven&#039;t seen these golden coloured ones before and wonder about the fact that the creature is a similar colour. I also considered the fact that often we find just the domes with no floss on top and maybe the floss is highly vulnerable to dissolving in a light rain or even overnight dew. Based on this idea I suspect these might be very fresh ones. <br />
On older leaves of a eucalyptus in a local nature reserve.<br />
The name &#039;lerp&#039; comes from the aboriginal word &#039;larp&#039; Dense colonies create thick encrustations and were often collected for food.  &#039;Cardiaspina albitextura Taylor, 1962&#039; commonly known as the &#039;White Lace lerp&quot;<br />
Like miniature cicadas these creatures create unique micro-sounds... <a href="http://www.psyllids.org/CardiaspinaSOUND.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.psyllids.org/CardiaspinaSOUND.htm</a> Australia,Cardiaspina albitextura,Geotagged,Summer,White Lace Lerp Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

White Lace Lerp (Cardiaspina albitextura)

Some psyllids build tiny houses from a sugary substance and cover with golden fairyfloss. (A bit like the witches house in Hansel and Gretel)
The dome had a fine diagonal woven texture and the largest ones were about 6mm across.
The creature itself was nymphal, shades of yellow with a soft, ribbed body, a couple of spots on either side, and a yellow mouth tube.
I lifted one side of this lerp trying not to damage it and, being a sugary, mix I was able to moisten the raised edge and 'glue' it back to the leaf. I think it worked well. I haven't seen these golden coloured ones before and wonder about the fact that the creature is a similar colour. I also considered the fact that often we find just the domes with no floss on top and maybe the floss is highly vulnerable to dissolving in a light rain or even overnight dew. Based on this idea I suspect these might be very fresh ones.
On older leaves of a eucalyptus in a local nature reserve.
The name 'lerp' comes from the aboriginal word 'larp' Dense colonies create thick encrustations and were often collected for food. 'Cardiaspina albitextura Taylor, 1962' commonly known as the 'White Lace lerp"
Like miniature cicadas these creatures create unique micro-sounds... http://www.psyllids.org/CardiaspinaSOUND.htm

    comments (1)

  1. During the last weeks you've surprised us with the craziest wildlife moments, but you still manage to up it one more. This is absolutely fascinating! Posted 9 years ago

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Cardiaspina albitextura (White Lace Lerp) are lerp forming Psyllids found in south-eastern mainland Australia.

Similar species: True Bugs
Species identified by Mark Ridgway
View Mark Ridgway's profile

By Mark Ridgway

All rights reserved
Uploaded Apr 5, 2016. Captured Jan 11, 2014 19:08 in 13 Wicks Rd, The Basin VIC 3154, Australia.
  • EX-Z2000
  • f/3.4
  • 1/100s
  • ISO64
  • 8.46mm