Subject: Leaf footed bug?
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
August 16, 2015 12:31 pm
Could you identify this guy for me? I did some research and the closest thing to him that I’ve found is a leaf footed bug. He was found at an apartment complex in June, middle of the day, and was stationary on the hand railing in an urban area. The railing in the picture is 2/3 inches thick. Thanks in advance!
Signature: B.G.
Dear B.G.,
You are correct in a very general way. You are correct that this is a Leaf Footed Bug, but that is a general name for a member of a family that in North America, according to BugGuide, numbers “88 spp. in 33 genera north of Mexico, just over 1000 spp. in 165 genera in the New World, ~1,900 spp. in ~270 genera worldwide.” It is a member of the genus Acanthocephala, a genus with four species in North America according to BugGuide which provides the names “Big-footed or Big-legged Plant Bug.” We believe this is a female Florida Leaf Footed Bug, Acanthocephala femorata based on this BugGuide description: “Antennae uniformly colored, dull reddish or orangish; flange on hind tibia gently tapering distally; male hind femur greatly swollen and bearing a large spike; female hind femur slender and bearing several small spikes.”
Insecticides are rarely needed for leaffooted bug control because small blemishes on most fruit are tolerable in gardening situations and because landscape plants are rarely damaged. What is IPM?
Integrated Pest Management. Why do you ask?