Subject: What’s that bug?
Location: Mississippi, USA
December 2, 2013 3:38 pm
-Seen in Mississippi, near the Louisiana border
-2-3” long-Swarmed by them but not bitten
Signature: Wondering
Dear Wondering,
This is a Big Footed Bug in the genus Acanthocephala, and they mature and reach maximum size in the autumn, which is why we are beginning to get identification requests submitted. We just posted another Big Footed Bug from Texas. We have not heard any reports of people being bitten by this plant feeding genus. We believe your individual is Acanthocephala declivis and you can get additional information on BugGuide, where the identifying feature of the species is described as: “Humeral angles of pronotum broadly expanded, extending laterally well beyond maximum lateral abdominal margin.”