Rice red spot
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September 20 08:15:55, 2025
The scientific name of this insect is *Callitetix versicolor* (Fabricius), belonging to the family Cicadellidae under the order Hemiptera. It is commonly known as the red spot foam, rice red spots black foam, or firefly. This pest is distributed from northern Zhejiang, Henan, and Shaanxi, all the way down to Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Fujian.
This species primarily attacks rice but can also damage sorghum, corn, millet, sugarcane, and rape. In 1985, it caused serious damage to rice, corn, and sorghum in Hunan province.
When rice is infested, the main damage occurs on the flag leaves. Adults feed by sucking sap, causing yellow spots to appear first, followed by reddish tips on the leaf. Irregular reddish-brown stripes may form on the back of the leaf, or red patches between the midrib and leaf margin, eventually leading to complete discoloration and drying. Damage before the booting stage can result in difficulty heading, while post-booting damage causes short spikes and fewer grains. When corn is attacked, the insect uses its needle-like mouthpart to suck sap, creating yellow to yellow-brown, shuttle-shaped spots around the feeding site, with white patches appearing on the affected leaf. Similarly, when sorghum is damaged, the symptoms resemble those on rice, with long oval or irregularly shaped lesions that can cause the entire plant to die.
**Morphological Characteristics:**
Adults measure 11–13.5 mm in length, with a black, shiny body. The front wings are nearly parallel when closed. The head is slightly convex, with dark brown compound eyes and yellow-red simple eyes. The face is convex and densely covered with fine black hairs, with a prominent central ridge. The base of the antennae is short and black. The small scutellum is triangular, with a large spindle-shaped depression at the top. The forewings are black, with two large white spots near the base. Males have a large red spot near the base, while females have two large and small red spots. Eggs are oval and milky white. There are five nymphal instars, resembling adults, with white coloration initially, turning light black later, and spores covering their bodies for protection.
**Life Habits:**
In regions like Henan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan, there is one generation per year. Overwintering eggs are found 3–10 cm deep in the rhizosphere or cracks in field weeds. Nymphs hatch from mid-May to late May of the following year, feeding on grass roots in the soil. After two years, they gradually move upward. Nymphs often excrete body fluids through their anus, which form spores when released into the air, providing protection and aiding in climbing to the soil surface. By mid-June, they emerge as adults. After eclosion, they can sterilize rice, sorghum, or corn within 3–4 hours. Heavy infestations occur in July, and adult numbers decline after August, with the last sightings in late November. Each female lays 164–228 eggs. The egg stage lasts 10–11 months, the nymph stage 21–35 days, and the adult lifespan 11–41 days. They usually move in scattered groups, being active early in the evening and late in the day. During high temperatures and strong sunlight, they hide in weeds. Large-scale infestations involve group flights in the evening. They tend to attack the center of fields.
**Prevention and Control Methods:**
In areas with severe infestations, combining winter and spring plowing with composting or spring tillage, and sealing fields with mud can kill some overwintering eggs and prevent nymphs from hatching. If necessary, spray 40% isoprocarb EC (150–200 ml, active ingredient 30–40 g) during June and July, diluting in 100–100 L of water, while maintaining a shallow water layer in the field. This treatment can effectively control both rice and sorghum. Additionally, spraying 45% malathion EC diluted 1000 times or 40% omethoate diluted 1500 times can also be effective.