Family Eurybrachidae Genus Messena
I initially thought this insect was a spider, but its clearly not having 8 appendages that spiders have. The photo shows 3 appendages each side which leads to 6 in total.
Observations: It was using the two antenna like structure for mimicry and looks like dried plant material. It didnât hop while it was fleeing from the camera, rather it just walked through the curved surface. Size was easily under 5 millimetres.
About Plant Hoppers
- They camouflage as leaves or plant material as their food source is the plant sap that they suck to create honeydew
- They are good at jumping but also agile moving front, back and sideways like a crab
- They produce hydrophobic wax for protection - and also mimicry and camouflage are primary protection tools
- The immature stages are called as ânymphsâ - nymphs are flightless, but many adults are too.