# Insect: What Izzit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2002, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866 "2002-12-25T18:32:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/1 "2002-12-25T18:32:25Z")
Does anyone know what kind of insect this is? [http://www.cirrusimage.com/images/whatizzit.jpg](http://www.cirrusimage.com/images/whatizzit.jpg) I will be eternally grateful to anyone who can narrow this down to a genus! ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/2 "2002-12-25T18:51:09Z")
Looks like a lacewing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/3 "2002-12-25T21:28:18Z")
IANA entomologist, but its wings look too chunky and opaque for that. The pictures that I’m finding under _chrysopa_ spp. have more elongated and nearly transparent wings. [http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T131022.HTM](http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T131022.HTM) Any hints on continent? Habitat? ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/4 "2002-12-25T22:30:53Z")
Oh yeah… Photo taken in August, near Chicago. About 1/8 - 1/4 inch long. Dozens of them in all hanging out together in tall grass and on the stems of various woody plants. At first I thought they were moths, but no. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/5 "2002-12-25T22:44:20Z")
Could you describe the manner of their flight? (it does look like a moth to me; does it fly like one?) ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/6 "2002-12-25T22:47:35Z")
Definitely not a lacewing. It’s one of the true bugs (hemiptera/homoptera). I think (but I’m not certain) that it’s a leafhopper (Flatidae). ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/7 "2002-12-25T22:49:35Z")
Leafhoppers: [http://icg.harvard.edu/~bio155/taxonomy/hemiptera/flatidae.html](http://icg.harvard.edu/~bio155/taxonomy/hemiptera/flatidae.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/8 "2002-12-25T22:50:26Z")
…Although it is possibly some sort of [whitefly](http://www.mv.com/ipusers/grnspt/pestswhitefly.htm)… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/9 "2002-12-25T22:51:54Z")
forget that; I think **Blake** has delivered the straight dope. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@mister\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_me)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/10 "2002-12-25T23:10:34Z")
No doubt - A leafhopper. ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/11 "2002-12-26T03:51:59Z")
Thanks, Blake. Definitely a flatid planthopper. Now if I could just pin down a genus… Homoptera\>flatidae\>? Is that Doug Yanega dood still around? Thanks, all, for yer efforts! ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insect-what-izzit/144866/12 "2002-12-26T04:00:20Z")
Aha. Acanalonia conica. Never mind, I found it.