Spotted lanternfly ( Lycorma delicatula ) nymphs demonstrate robust jumping and gripping performance following limb loss

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive hemipteran spreading across the United States. Eradication campaigns, such as "See It, Squish It," rely on mechanical elimination. However, lanternflies often escape by executing hindlimb-driven leaps. Although escape rates remain unquantified, the physical nature of these eradication attempts likely results in individuals surviving with damaged/missing limbs. Lanternflies do not exhibit limb autotomy, and it remains unclear how well they tolerate injury. To evaluate the effects of limb loss on locomotor performance, we amputated a single fore-, mid-, or hindlimb in lanternfly nymphs and measured three ecologically relevant metrics: jumping and climbing velocity and pull-strength. We also tracked recovery over several days post-amputation for jumping and climbing trials. Jumping velocity and pull-strength were unaffected by limb removal. In contrast, climbing velocity declined significantly across all groups, with the greatest reductions observed following forelimb and hindlimb removal. This decrease in climbing velocity was associated with changes in both stride length and stride frequency. However, because climbing velocity also declined in the control group, it remains unclear whether limb amputation alone—or the intervention itself—was responsible for these effects. No evidence of performance recovery was observed over time. These findings demonstrate the fault-tolerant nature of the lanternfly locomotor system, likely supported by mechanical redundancy and decentralized neuromuscular control. The ability to maintain essential behaviors following limb loss may represent a complementary evolutionary strategy to autotomy—centered on resilience rather than pre-programed limb sacrifice. This performance robustness likely contributes to the lanternfly's invasive success.