Lerp (biology)

For other uses, see Lerp (disambiguation).

In biology, a lerp is a structure of crystallized honeydew produced by larvae of psyllid bugs as a protective cover. These animals are commonly referred to as lerp insects, of which there are over 300 species in Australia.^[1]

Red lerps (Austrochardia acaciae) on Acacia aneura, Central Australia

Lerps are energy rich, consisting mostly of starch, with some proteins and fats.^[1] They are eaten by flying foxes, possums and birds such as pardalotes and honeyeaters.^[1]

The word is derived from the Wemba Wemba word lerep.^[2] Lerps are traditionally eaten by Indigenous people, and can be stored as dry balls for future use.^[3]

References

1. "Lerps - One of nature's sweet offerings". Land for Wildlife. 2019-08-07. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
2. Australian Aboriginal Words in English. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 2006 [1990]. p. 103. ISBN 9780195540734.
3. Faast, Renate; Clarke, Philip A.; Taylor, Gary S.; Salagaras, Renée L.; Weinstein, Philip (2020-09-01). "Indigenous Use of Lerps in Australia: So Much More Than a Sweet Treat". Journal of Ethnobiology. 40 (3): 328–347. doi:10.2993/0278-0771-40.3.328. ISSN 0278-0771.

• "New Agricultural Pest for Southern California Redgum Lerp Psyllid" (PDF). California Plant Pest and Disease Report. 17 (1–3). Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry: 7. 1998. ISSN 1947-0657. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-08-30.
• Dobson, T. (1857). "On Laap, or Lerp, the Cup-Like Coverings of Psyllidae Found on the Leaves of Certain Eucalypti". Transactions of the Microscopical Society & Journal. 5: 123–130. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2818.1857.tb02049.x.
• Paton, D.C. (1980). "The Importance of Manna, Honeydew and Lerp in the Diets of Honeyeaters". Emu. 80 (4): 213–226. Bibcode:1980EmuAO..80..213P. doi:10.1080/01584197.1980.11799277.
• Woinarski, J.C.Z. (1984). "Small Birds, Lerp-Feeding and the Problem of Honeyeaters". Emu - Austral Ornithology. 84 (3): 137–141. Bibcode:1984EmuAO..84..137W. doi:10.1071/MU9840137.
• Ernst, W.H.O.; Sekhwela, M.B.M. (1987). "The chemical composition of lerps from the mopane psyllid Arytaina mopane (Homoptera, Psyllidae)". Insect Biochemistry. 17 (6): 905–9. doi:10.1016/0020-1790(87)90027-8.
• Faast, R.; Clarke, P.A.; Taylor, G.S.; Salagaras, R.L.; Weinstein, P. (24 September 2020). "Indigenous Use of Lerps in Australia: So Much More Than a Sweet Treat". Journal of Ethnobiology. 40 (3): 328–347. doi:10.2993/0278-0771-40.3.328. S2CID 221910447.
• Hollis, D. (2004). Australian Psylloidea: Jumping Plantlice and Lerp Insects. Australian Biological Resources Study. ISBN 9780642568366.
• Sharma, Anamika (December 2014). Bionomics and nutritional ecology of three species of Aphalaridae (Psylloidea) of varied guilds in Australia feeding on different species of Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) in central-western New South Wales (PhD). Charles Sturt University. pp. 74, 77.

External links

• University of California Integrated Pest Management
• University of California Center for Biological Control
• Lerp Psyllid resources provided by Pacific Coast Arborists and Consultants