About Cardiaspina fiscella Taylor, 1962
Cardiaspina fiscella, commonly called the brown basket lerp or brown lace lerp, is a species of jumping plant louse in the genus Cardiaspina. This species was originally native to Australia. Within Australia, it is distributed in Victoria, eastern New South Wales, southeastern Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) surrounding Canberra, and on Norfolk Island. It feeds on eucalyptus trees, with a particular preference for swamp mahogany. It has since spread to New Zealand, where it was first discovered in 1996 near Auckland Airport. Cardiaspina fiscella goes through five nymphal instars during development. Each time an instar moults, it adds a new layer to its external protective casing, which is called the "lerp".
