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Sticker of Florida leaf-footed bug
Bug card No. 1703 of 4,939

Florida leaf-footed bug

Acanthocephala femorata
Eats: PlantsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The Florida leaf-footed bug is a reddish brown to almost black bug. Its back legs are wide and flat with little teeth, a bit like a leaf. Its long curvy feelers have bright orange tips.

Lives in
The United States and Mexico, in gardens and orchards
Top speed
about 0.2 km/h (0.12 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. Gardeners do not like it because it harms roses and citrus trees.
What does it eat?
It sucks juice from plants and can damage citrus trees and roses.
For real!Photo of Florida leaf-footed bug
Picture by Wknight94 talk. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its scientific name Acanthocephala means spiny head, after the pointed tip of its head.

2

The wide back legs are biggest on the males.

3

Birds and assassin bugs like to eat it.

you asked

Most asked questions about Florida leaf-footed bug

?Is the leaf-footed bug harmful?

Not to people. It sucks plant juice and can hurt roses and citrus trees.

?Why is it called leaf-footed?

Because its back legs are wide and flat like little leaves.

For bug experts

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

Where the facts come from

  1. Florida leaf-footed bug (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 Wknight94 talk. CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.

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