Spotted lanternfly look-alikes

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Insects
Spotted Lanternfly
Spotted lanternfly look-alikes

Learn to distinguish spotted lanternfly from common look-alikes

These are spotted lanternfly nymphs and adults

A collage of spotted lanternfly photos. Top right and left show the nymph life stage. Top center shows two adults on a tree trunk. Bottom left is an adult with folded wings, and right is one with open wings.

Common look-alikes

The insects pictured below are NOT spotted lanternfly but can be mistaken for the lanternfly's different life stages. Click on each photo for descriptions.

An American copper butterfly with open wings rests on a black-eyed Susan flower.

Sixteen boxelder bugs, representing multiple life stages, crawling on the underside of a leaf.

A black, six-legged brown marmorated stink bug nymph.

A gray, putty-like spotted lanternfly egg mass sits just above a tan, fuzzy spongy moth egg mass on a tree trunk.

An Eastern eyed click beetle on a wooden table top.

A white giant leopard moth with black circles patterned across its wings sits with wings folded on a tree trunk.

An ilia underwing moth with open wings displayed on a wooden table top.

A red milkweed beetle with black spots chews on a partially-eaten milkweed leaf.

A black tiger bee fly on a white background.

A tiger moth with open wings on a bed of mulch and debris.

A white lined sphinx moth with wings open perching on a cluster of white flowers.

The American copper butterfly (Lycaena phlaeas) has orange forewings with black spots and brown hindwings fringed with orange. This contrasts with the spotted lanternfly's gray upper wings with black spots and red underwings with black spots. Photo courtesy of Catherine Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org.

The boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) is common in Michigan in the summer. Early life stages have a red, elongated body, and adults are black with orange lines. Note that late-stage spotted lanternfly nymphs are red and black with white spots on their bodies and legs. Photo courtesy of Steven Katovich, Bugwood.org.

The brown marmorated stink bug nymph is very similar in size, shape and color to the early stage spotted lanternfly nymph. Small spikes on the sides of the stink bug nymph's body, visible antennae, and the presence of white bands, rather than white spots, on its legs may help to differentiate the two. Photo courtesy of Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org.

The spongy moth egg mass (lower right) is usually tan in color with a fuzzy texture. A spotted lanternfly egg mass (center) is gray, waxy and putty-like, resembling old chewing gum. Photo courtesy of Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture, Bugwood.org.

The eastern eyed click beetle (Alaus oculatus) is black with white blotches and two large white circles on its back that appear as "false eyes" to ward off predators. Photo courtesy of Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.

The giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia) has white wings with a geometric pattern of small, black circles. Note the contrast with spotted lanternfly's gray upper wings featuring black dots and a lacy pattern of very fine black lines at the tips. Photo courtesy of Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org.

Ilia underwing (Catocala ilia) is a moth with red to orange underwings somewhat similar to those of adult spotted lanternfly. Ilia underwing's upper wings are a mottled camouflage that helps it blend in to tree bark. Spotted lanternfly’s upper wings are light gray with black dots and a lacy pattern of very fine black lines at the tips. Photo courtesy of Herbert A. Joe Pase III, Texas A&M Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

The red milkweed beetle (Halyomorpha halys), often found on milkweed plants, has an elongated red body with a mirrored pattern of black spots and blotches. Late stage spotted lanternfly nymphs are red and black with white spots on their bodies and legs. Photo courtesy of David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.

The tiger bee fly (Xenox tigrinus) is a large fly with clear wings that have black markings. It does not sting or bite but gets its name because it preys on carpenter bee larvae. Photo courtesy of Ansel Oommen, Bugwood.org.

Tiger moths (Apantesis spp.) have red underwings similar to spotted lanternfly, but note the geometric pattern of the tiger moth's upper wings, which differs from spotted lanternfly's characteristic black spots on gray to brown wings. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth McCarty, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

The white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) is a large hawk moth. The pink stripe on it's underwings may be mistaken for the red underwings of the spotted lanternfly. Note the brown upper wings with a tan stripe and characteristic white lines of this sphinx moth, in contrast with the gray wings with black spots found on the spotted lanternfly. Photo courtesy of Terry Curtis, Bugwood.org.

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Spotted lanternfly look-alikes

Learn to distinguish spotted lanternfly from common look-alikes

These are spotted lanternfly nymphs and adults

Common look-alikes

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