lanternfly

noun

lan·​tern·​fly ˈlan-tərn-ˌflī 

variants or less commonly lantern fly

plural lanternflies also lantern flies

: any of several large brightly marked winged hemipteran insects (family Fulgoridae) that often resemble moths or small butterflies and usually possess an elongated hollow projection on the head

The lanternflies often have beautifully colored and patterned wings, and the front of their heads is often expanded into a large bulb or snout. Because of their brilliant colors, it used to be thought that they glowed in the dark, hence their common name. They don't glow, but they can be extraordinarily beautiful.

—California Academy of Sciences

especially : spotted lanternfly

By now, most residents of central and eastern Pennsylvania are familiar with lanternflies, an invasive pest that was discovered in Berks County in 2014. It took a few years, but the lanternflies not only moved from the original site to outside Pennsylvania's borders, where they have now been identified in 11 other states, but raised their profile significantly by converging on city and suburban neighborhoods in droves.

—Paul Vigna

Examples of lanternfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Invasive lantern flies might have spread so fast by clinging to cars’ windshield wipers. —Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 11 July 2024

Another invasive plant, tree of heaven, attracts the Japanese lantern fly, an invasive insect that has been spreading into Connecticut and destroying trees and crops. —Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2024

So while it is advised to kill certain invasive species such as the spotted lantern fly, the Jorōs can be left alone, Davis said. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024

The spotted lantern fly, on the other hand, has received more research money and international media attention, experts that spoke with NBC said. —Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023

State parks also have firewood policies to protect the areas from destructive invasive species such as the emerald ash borer and spotted lantern fly. —Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 June 2023

Jittery men can be dangerous even when the hair trigger is metaphorical: Last October, 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson was going tree-to-tree hoping to eradicate invasive lantern flies in her New Jersey hometown when her next-door neighbor called the police. —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2023

What happened to the teenage boy seeking to retrieve his twin brothers from a friend’s house and to Joseph’s daughter spraying invasive lantern flies were similar in this way: Both were young Black people merely existing. —Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023

As early nymphs, the lantern flies are black with white spots. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lanternfly

• spotted lanternfly

Kids Definition

lantern fly

noun

: any of several large brightly marked insects that are related to the cicadas and aphids and have the front of the head lengthened into a hollow structure