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This photo was taken in a forest at Tehatta, West Bengal, India on May 7, 2023. Black planthopper or Ricaniid Planthopper (Ricania speculum) is a species of planthoppers belonging to the family Ricaniidae found in low-elevation Mountains and prefers dark environments of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam. Recently, it has been accidentally introduced in northern Italy. This species is considered a major agricultural pest for several crops in tropical and subtropical areas (apples, coffee plants, oil palms, Citrus species, etc. These insects feed on sap that they suck from the leaves of the host plants. Ricania speculum has a single generation per year. The eggs overwinter in the bark of the branches waiting for the spring hatching. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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