Categories

Los Angeles bug
Location:  Los Angeles, CA
July 27, 2010 9:11 pm
I live near Griffith Park in LA and I’m familiar with most of the bugs that stop by my home office. But this dude was new to me. Haven’t found anything similar in Kaufman or Hogue’s guide to LA bugs. The stumpy wings on the top suggest an immature flying bug? Body was about 3/4 inch long.
Matthew Butterick

Immature Leaf Footed Bug

Hi Matthew,
Sadly, most guide books do not have images of many immature phases of insect metamorphosis.  This is an immature Leaf Footed Bug, and it appears that it is a species in the genus Leptoglossus based on photos like this posted to BugGuide.

Immature Leaf Footed Bug

Thanks Daniel. Do you think it might be an Acanthocephala terminalis?
The third picture on this page of the immature A. terminalis is a close match for my photo.
http://www.hartmanprehistoricgarden.com/sa-acanthocephala_ter.html

Hi Matthew,
We are going to stick to Leptoglossus, but as we already stated, nymphs can be difficult to conclusively identify.  According to BugGuide, Acanthocephala terminalis, does not range in California.  We would favor Leptoglossus clypealis as the species.  BugGuide has an image of the adult showing the long proboscis, similar to the proportions of your specimen.  The distinguishing feature mentioned on BugGuide:  “A spine extending forwards from the tip of the nose (technically known as the tylus) distinguishes this species” is not clearly visible in your photographs, but that might be because it is immature or it could be the angle of view of your photos.

1   I like This

Related Posts

• 
  (09/11/2010)
  Immature Leaf Footed Bugs
• 
  (05/10/2011)
  Immature Leaf Footed Bugs, in our opinio...
• 
  (05/16/2011)
  Immature Leaf Footed Bug
• 
  (07/04/2011)
  Immature Leaf Footed Bug