Torpedo Bug

Adult Siphanta acuta are large-winged (as are other members of the family Flatidae) and bright green. Their wings are triangular, sharply pointed at the tip, and sit held like a steep roof. Their wings project behind the end of their abdomen and almost reach the ground. Most of their body is concealed. A pointed head and distal segments of front and middle legs (sometimes tarsus of hind legs) are visible. The body length of mature green planthoppers is around 9.3 mm. They have two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs, one pair of antennae, and compound eyes on either side of their head. They have piercing/sucking mouthparts and females have an ovipositor at the end of the abdomen. Nymphs of Siphanta acuta are white with a pair of waxy filaments either side of the sixth abdominal segment, with two long tufts at the tip of the abdomen. Their form is like that of the mature form, with a rostrum to feed from, three pairs of legs, and a pair of antennae.

Siphanta acuta naturally occurs in Australia (continentally and Tasmania), California (adventive), Hawaii (adventive), and South Africa (adventive).

In terms of phenology, adult forms of Siphanta acuta are most common in summer and autumn. After mating, females usually lay 90-110 eggs on a leaf in a flat oval cluster via the ovipositor. These are known as egg-cushions, which turn from white to black, due to a fungus that grows on empty shells. The newly hatched forms are nymphs, which reside near their eggs for the first early part of their life, also known as the first instar. Siphanta acuta molts to move through different instars/stages of growth and maturity. Second and third instars gradually become greener where they reach 3.6mm at the third, the fourth instars gain a small amount of reddish marks, and the fifth have white with pink markings.