Family: Acanaloniidae
Length: about 10 mm
Acanalonia conica feeds on a vast array of plants, including Osage Orange, Basswood, Lilac, Catnip, Goldenrod, Ragweed, and various milkweeds. It also feeds on crops, including Corn, Beets, Grapes, and Cotton.
Wilson and McPherson (1981) studied this species' life history, conducting their research in both laboratory and field.
In the field, females lay their eggs in late summer in early fall, in the woody stems of Grape and probably many other woody plants. The species overwinters in the egg stage, and has only one generation per year.
In the laboratory, females laid their eggs on the woody peduncles of green beans. Only a small percentage (15%) of the eggs hatched, taking an average of 218.5 days to do so.
The average length of instars one through five were, respectively: 24, 14.2, 16.9, 17.4, and 20.1 days. The entire development from egg to adult took 311 days on average.
The nymphs are brownish, and are typically found with waxy plumes produced by wax glands on the rear of the abdomen. Wilson and McPherson (1981) were the first to publish descriptions and images of the nymphs of Acanalonia conica, and they did so for all five instars.
