Subject: What is it?
Location: Fresno, CA
September 17, 2012 9:04 am
I and my neighbors have found this bug crawling all over our fruit trees: pomegranet, peach, avocado…..we dont’ remember seeing it before and are wondering what it is – thank you.
Signature: Debbie
Dear Debbie,
This is a Leaf Footed Bug in the genus Leptoglossus, and the following description on BugGuide allowed us to identify it as Leptoglossus zonatus: “Two yellowish spots on the forward part of the pronotum are distinctive. Also has a zigzagging white band across the wings (like some other species). Expansions of the hind tibiae are also much larger and more jagged than most other species.” BugGuide also notes: “Feeds on flowers and fruits of many plants, including citrus, tomatoes, various members of the squash family, and many other plants” and “Considered a pest not only for the feeding damage on various crops but also as a transmitter of plant pathogens.”