lanternfly

English

Etymology

From lantern +‎ fly. The name came about because of claims that some Fulgoridae are luminous at night. European and Euro-American writers, including Maria Sibylla Merian and Carl Linnaeus, said that the claims came from Indigenous peoples in South America. (Merian had visited Suriname.) Various names, including lanternfly, the specific name laternaria, and various other (current or former) scientific names, came out of this belief. Compare firefly and lightning bug, names for insects that do in fact glow at night.

Noun

lanternfly (plural lanternflies)

  1. Any of various insects in the family Fulgoridae, especially in the genera Fulgora and Pyrops, with brilliant coloration.

Derived terms

Translations

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