The andromeda lace bug (''Stephanitis takeyai'') is a pest insect on plants of the genus ''

Pieris Pieris may refer to: Organisms * ''Pieris'' (plant), the andromeda or fetterbush, a plant genus in the family Ericaceae * ''Pieris'' (butterfly), the garden whites, a butterfly genus in the family Pieridae * ''Pieris'', a synonym of the genus ...

'', especially ''Pieris japonica'', the Japanese andromeda. It originated in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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 ea ...

, 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. Tingidae Insect pests of ornamental plants Insects described in 1955 {{Heteroptera-stub