Lanternfly

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Pyrops delessertii, a species of planthopper from the Western Ghats. Clicked in Hosanagara, Karnataka.

Ever since I saw this species in an image posted by IndiaWilds member Vikram Gupchup in 2009, I had been wishfully waiting for it, and I recently encountered it after a five-year long wait. I found it by chance when I had gone out at night to photograph frogs, and the sight of this gorgeous creature excited me so much that I almost missed a frog just a couple of inches below it on the same tree trunk.
The name "lanternfly" is as much a misnomer as could possibly be. The "fly" in the name often confuses people; these are actually true bugs related to the Cicadas. The "lantern" in the name came from an age-old myth that the long projection on the head is luminous.

Canon 500D, Canon 100mm Macro USM
SS 1/200
Av 16
ISO 400
Full frame image
As it was raining at the time, I was handling an umbrella in addition to the camera, and found it difficult to compose the image properly and from a better angle. So I ended up with only a couple of record images.

Thanks, C&C welcome.