Insect / Hemiptera / True bug

The bug, Derephysia foliacea, found at Swanwick NR, Hampshire in 2002.

It is the intricate pattern of cell formation on the body and forewings that give Derephysia foliacea, and other members of the Hemipteran family of Tingidae, the name ‘lacebugs’. They are ‘true’ bugs: their life cycle does not have a larval and pupal stage, but instead their eggs hatch into a series of nymphal stages which become more adult-like as they progress. 

The Foliaceous Lace Bug, Derephysia foliacea, is a 3mm-long lacebug found on ivy, and both adults and nymphs have piercing beak mouthparts which are inserted into the underside of leaves to feed on the sap. Leaf damage may be observed as light-coloured speckling on the upper leaf surface. 

Image of Lacebug  Bi2018.1.1575