Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / True bugs and cicadas
Sticker of Giant leaf-footed bug
Bug card No. 1872 of 4,939

Giant leaf-footed bug

Acanthocephala declivis
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The giant leaf-footed bug is a big bug with wide, pointy shoulders. The males have huge, thick back legs with a big tooth on them. They use these strong legs like arms to wrestle each other.

Lives in
From the southern USA down to El Salvador and some Caribbean islands
Length
2.8 to 3.4 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in)
Top speed
about 0.34 km/h (0.21 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. It is fine to look closely, but leave it on its plant.
What does it eat?
Like its relatives, it sucks juice from plants through its long, straw-like mouth.
For real!Photo of Giant leaf-footed bug
Picture by NCBioTeacher. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Giant leaf-footed bug about 3.4 cm long (1.3 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 6 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 11 seconds

How big is Giant leaf-footed bug compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is the biggest bug of its group where it lives, about 3 centimetres long.

2

Males squeeze rival males with their huge back legs when they compete for a mate.

3

Females have smaller back legs, but they also use them to push and fight.

you asked

Most asked questions about Giant leaf-footed bug

?How big is the giant leaf-footed bug?

It is about 3 centimetres long, which is big for a bug.

?Why does it have such big legs?

Males use their big back legs to squeeze and wrestle other males.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Acanthocephala declivis
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Coreidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Coreidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Acanthocephala declivis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by NCBioTeacher. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: True bugs and cicadas

Pharaoh cicadaTrue bugs and cicadasSpotted lanternflyTrue bugs and cicadasBrown marmorated stink bugTrue bugs and cicadasCochinealTrue bugs and cicadasBoxelder bugTrue bugs and cicadasWestern conifer seed bugTrue bugs and cicadas

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Orchid dupe waspWasps and hornetsSpindle ermine mothMothsSwallow-tailed mothMothsFlea jumping spiderSpidersBeautiful plume mothMothsLemon pansyButterflies
Honey jarfor grown-ups