Sitting under my mango tree a few weeks ago, I looked up to see this guy on a branch. I ran inside to get my camera, shrieking for Tony the whole time.

I had to balance with one foot on my patio table and one foot braced against the tree to get a close enough shot, and I was scared the whole time that the bizarre bug would suddenly attack my face or blast venom from its freaky nose. Fortunately, it just sat there. Later that evening it was gone, and we’ve never seen it or any of its ilk again.

I’ve been trying to find out the name of that strange yard guest, but when I did a Google image search of “laos insects,” the results featured mainly edible market fare. Today, I gave it another whirl. I entered “Laos insect long nose.” Score!
Turns out our little visitor is known as Pyrops candelaria, although his friends call him Lantern Bug.

Here’s some info from the Lantern Bug website:

The lantern bug can grow from 1.5 to 3 inches long from head to thorax and has a wingspan of about 2 to 2.5 inches wide, depending on the species. It has a long beak, called its rostrum, which it uses to suck the juice out flowers and fruits. The lantern bug is an herbivore. Lantern bugs are called thus because of their bright usually contrasting colors. Their actual coloring varies for each genus but the colors are bright enough for them to earn their name, despite the fact that no lantern bug actually emits any light at all.