Flatida rosea (Melichar, 1901)

Heyden, Torsten van der, 2014, Flatida rosea (Melichar, 1901) and Zanna madagascariensis Signoret, 1860, two bizarre and fascinating species of planthoppers from Madagascar (Hemiptera: Flatidae, Fulgoridae)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 10, pp. 221-223 : 221

Flatida rosea (Melichar, 1901)

F. rosea belongs to the family Flatidae , which is cosmopolitan, mainly with a tropical and subtropical distribution. The adults of F. rosea have brightly coloured pink wings (hence the Latin name of the species) covering the whole body. The bizarre nymphs (Fig. 1) have waxy filaments as a protection against predators. Adults and nymphs can be found in aggregations, sucking plant liquids.

On 24.5.2014, Pamela Donaldson was able to photograph nymphs of F. rosea in the Anja

Community Reserve (Fig. 2), located in the dry south-eastern part of Madagascar. Pamela Donaldson wrote: “ Anja is huddled into the base of a cliff, and much of the reserve is dominated by enormous fallen rocks which have come to rest at the base of the escarpment.” She SAw mAny of theSe nymphS on the same bush, but did not see them anywhere else. Unfortunately, Pamela Donaldson was not able to observe adults of F. rosea .