Adult Male Leaffooted Bug is 3/4 inch long (2 cm)

Figures 3-4.  Late-stage nymph Early instar nymphs tend to be purplish or reddish brown with orange heads. Older nymphs are variable but tend to be orange to yellowish brown, with the head mottled. All five instars are characterized by spines, mottling, and a dilated 3rd antennal segment. This is the only coreid nymph in eastern U.S. having the 3rd antennal segment (only) dilated. Spotting this characteristic in the field can be tricky - the enlargement of the segment is flattened,  and can only be seen from certain angles.

Life Cycle: Like all Hemiptera, leaf-footed bugs go through a simple metamorphosis with egg, nymph, and adult stages.  Females of most species lay eggs during warm months.  The eggs are often stuck to leaves or branches, or hidden under bark, depending on the species.  After hatching, the wingless nymphs molt several times before becoming full-sized, winged adults. The adults will often mate and reproduce numerous times during the growing season.   Like stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs are able to exude foul-smelling, foul-tasting fluids from pores on the sides of their bodies.  These secretions help to protect leaf-footed bugs from predators. Nevertheless, leaf-footed bugs are often eaten by birds, spiders, assassin bugs, and other predators. [2] Adults: Length 13 to 25 mm; width 5 to 7.5 mm. Color dull brown, membrane darker; connexivum spotted in some, nearly concolorous in other specimens. Pronotum with anterior part of lateral margins finely and irregularly toothed. Humeri prominent but not spined. Hind femora swollen, especially in males, and with spines underneath, tubercles above. I love these bugs - they are stately and seemingly placid, but they can explode into flight at the drop of a hat, and they can accelerate so quickly you won't see where they went. I've also seen them bumbling along, flashing their bright orange abdomen. Someday I hope to capture a picture of them flying, but that will be sheer luck, as if almost always the case with any flying insect.

	Figures 5-6. Adult male showing characteristic spur Males have a white or cream colored spur or flap on the posterodorsal corner of the side of the thorax (metepimeron) next to the abdomen. This feature is readily apparent in the field. No other known insect in eastern U.S. has such a projection. The females lack this flap but do have a whitish callus in the metapleural area.
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Figure 7. Female feeding on bird droppings The prominent white spur is absent on this female specimen, although a white callus appears. Click on picture for 1024 X 768 image.