Bug on pommegranite
Location: Southern California
September 10, 2010 8:04 pm
This was a bug I had never noticed before and curious to see them grouped on one fruit and not on the others.
Signature: Martyn Watson
Hi Martyn,
These are immature Leaf Footed Bugs, and we have often found adults of the species Leptoglossus zonatus feeding on pomegranate in Elyria Canyon Park in Los Angeles, but we have not seen the nymphs. We suspect your nymphs are Leptoglossus zonatus. We thought we might be able to verify that on BugGuide, but they do not have any images of the immature stages. Leptoglossus zonatus will also feed on tomatoes. These Leaf Footed Bugs damage the fruit they feed upon by injecting enzymes that cause the flesh to become brown and dry where they pierce the skin. You may see images of the winged adults on BugGuide.