moth like waterbug?
Location: tidewater area (virginia)
November 16, 2010 5:02 pm
This bug is hanging out at my front door. We live in Hampton, VA. Its fall, a little chilly out, today we had some light rain fall. This bug is big, about 2 inches long, with really big waterbug like legs. It appears to have wings. It is dark gray/black color with a white head. It kind of looks like a big moth with really long creepy legs.
Signature: MommaJackson
Hi MommaJackson,
This is really a Big Legged Plant Bug in the genus Acanthocephala. According to BugGuide: “Any Acanthocephala found north of NC must be A. terminalis“, but, on the BugGuide species page for Acanthocephala terminalis, you will read: “Apical segment of antenna orange or yellowish, contrasting sharply with the basal three segments, which are dark; flange on hind tibia wavy-margined, narrowing distally and extending only two-thirds the length of the tibia; pronotum with small but distinct tubercles present, surface with covering of golden hairs; abdomen sinuate in outline, the sides of the abdomen bulging outward beyond the wings when viewed from above (these last three characteristics distinguish A. terminalis from A. confraterna).“ We are more inclined to believe your specimen is the Florida Leaf Footed Bug, Acanthocephala femorata, which is described on BugGuide as: “Antennae uniformly colored (i.e. all antennal segments are the same color: 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.” That is our inclination because of the uniform antennae color as well as the hind legs.