Unlike fireflies and other bioluminescent organisms, lanternflies (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoridae) do not produce visible (400–700 nm) lights as their common name might suggest. However, they can be captured by thermal cameras at long wavelength infrared (8–14 μm). In this study, we tested infrared thermography as an innovative way to detect spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), a newly discovered invasive plant pest in North America, in the field. Using two different infrared cameras, adult L. delicatula on various bark surfaces in the field were detected. Significant temperature gradients were observed for different body parts, resulting in images showing exceptional morphological details at high magnification on the head, thorax, legs, and wings. Detection rate differed significantly between times of observation, ranging from 41.8% at 4:30 am to 33.2% at 7:00 am, and eventually dropped to 7.5% by 7:30 am. No significant difference in detection rate was found between thermal cameras. We suspect that active feeding and rapid hemolymph circulation in adults are responsible for their detection by infrared thermography. This breakthrough discovery could revolutionize early detection and rapid response strategies in spotted lanternfly management. Applications of infrared thermography in the field of entomology and the potential mechanism behind the lighting up of L. delicatula adults are discussed.

与萤火虫和其他生物发光生物不同，灯笼虫（昆虫纲：半翅目：F科）不会产生可见光（400-700 nm），正如它们的俗名所暗示的那样。但是，它们可以由热像仪以长波长红外（8–14μm）捕获。在这项研究中，我们测试了红外热成像技术，该技术是一种创新的方法，可以在野外检测发现的斑蝶蝇（Lycorma delicatula，白色），这是北美新发现的入侵植物害虫。使用两个不同的红外摄像机，成年L. delicatula在田间的各种树皮表面上检测到。在不同的身体部位观察到明显的温度梯度，导致图像在高放大率下显示出头部，胸部，腿部和翅膀的特殊形态细节。观察时间之间的检出率差异显着，从4:30 am的41.8％到7:00 am的33.2％，最后到7:30 am下降到7.5％。热像仪之间的检测率没有显着差异。我们怀疑成年人的主动喂养和快速的淋巴循环是红外热像仪检测的原因。这一突破性发现可能会彻底改变斑点灯笼管理中的早期发现和快速响应策略。讨论了L. delicatula成人。