In Florida, royal palm distribution is limited to the southern third of the peninsula. One of the few arthropods that feed on Roystonea regia is the royal palm bug, Xylastodoris luteolus . The royal palm bug feeds only on Roystonea regia and thus, the range of its host plant limits its distribution in Florida and Cuba. This species is the only representative of the small tropical family of Thaumastocoridae in North America. Its general body shape is elongate-oval and it is somewhat flattened.
Adults are pale yellow-green in color except for the eyes which are red.
The immatures look similar to the adults, but lack wings. At the time of oviposition, leaflets are folded and the egg is placed inside of the fold. This helps to protect the eggs. Females usually lay only one egg per day, which will hatch in eight or nine days. The time from egg hatch to adult is about one month coinciding with the emergence of new leaves.