lanternfly, (Lanternaria phosphorea), a large, brightly coloured South American plant hopper (order Homoptera) that lives on trees and is relatively uncommon. Its most remarkable feature is the inflated anterior prolongation of the head, which contains a pouchlike extension from the digestive tract. This structure appears to be luminous at times, a phenomenon that may be related to mating behaviour.
Some lanternflies secrete a white wax in the form of long filaments or a powder. The Amazonian Indians believed that the lanternfly bite caused death.