Leaf-footed Bug

The Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala terminalis) is found in the eastern United States west to Colorado and Texas. Adults are about an inch in length. Their antennae are in four segments, the last segment is orange, (this is what I normally see) or yellow or white.

Their common name, shared with other species (making things a bit confusing, but that is often the case with common names), makes reference to the Leaf-footed Bug’s last pair of legs that resemble a leaf. Adults overwinter. Eggs are laid in the spring then there are five nymph stages. Quite the interesting bug to see.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Leaf-footed Bug”

  1. I always enjoyed seeing these insects, but as noted in Tendril, I said to myself (with a Boston accent) Faht it off.. then I read on the common name is only the beginning, which also confirmed the complexity of my observations over the years. I always said “leaf footed bug” but now I’m told , as my obs led me o see, things are more complex……well I’m gobsmacked again. Thanks Tendrils

    1. Ken, it is a bummer to hear you’ve been gobsmacked twice by these leaf-footed bugs. It is really not their fault though that they have been given this name but perhaps we should start enriching our vocabulary with scientific names, this one being Acanthocephala terminalis, which I know, for sure, I would have a difficult time pronouncing.

      Thanks bunches Ken, for reading my posts and adding levity, intended or not, to my day!
      Bren

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