The andromeda lace bug (''Stephanitis takeyai'') is a pest insect on plants of the genus '' Pieris'', especially ''Pieris japonica'', the Japanese andromeda. It originated in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

with its host plant but has since been introduced to other areas of the globe. At least one ''Pieris'' species, '' Pieris floribunda'', is resistant to the bug. The andromeda lace bug is about 3 millimeters in length. It has a characteristic rounded

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

, lacy black and white wings, and shiny gold highlighting. The bug produces mottling on the leaves of the plant, and heavy infestations can cause the leaves to drop in large numbers, stunting the plant's growth. Both nymph and adult forms damage the leaves by piercing them to suck the juices, and leave dark frass on the undersides of the leaves. Damage is worst on plants that grow in full sun.

References

Lace bugs on evergreens

Andromeda fact sheet
* Greenwood, P. ''et al.'' (2000). ''The American Horticultural Society: Pests and Diseases''. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Insects of Japan Tingidae Insect pests of ornamental plants Insects described in 1955 {{Heteroptera-stub