sabrawalton
Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala terminalis)
Found within the Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve on the campus of UNCW this Leaf-footed bug (most likely Acanthocephala terminalis, of the Coreidae family ) was briefly taking shelter from spring showers.
All species of Coreidae feed off of plants, and have piercing/sucking beaks that enables them to feed off of sap of seeds, fruits, stems or leaves of an astonishing variety of plant species. Their ability to feed off of such a array of plants has enabled them to have a large variety of feeding resources, thus expanding the range of habitats they may inhabit. This particular species' (Acanthocephala terminalis) range extends from the eastern US and southern Ontario west to Colorado and Texas.
The family of Coreidae is large, with more than 1,900 species in over 270 genera. The Hutchinson niche concept allows a wide niche for this particular family of animals. The tolerance and requirements for conditions and resources for the Coreidae can be met on almost every continent of earth (with the exception of Antartica), making the Coreidae family cosmopolitan*.
*Cosmopolitan distribution:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_distribution
Species Identification: bugguide.net/node/view/188405
General info about Coreidae:
www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51777-Coreidae
Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala terminalis)
Found within the Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve on the campus of UNCW this Leaf-footed bug (most likely Acanthocephala terminalis, of the Coreidae family ) was briefly taking shelter from spring showers.
All species of Coreidae feed off of plants, and have piercing/sucking beaks that enables them to feed off of sap of seeds, fruits, stems or leaves of an astonishing variety of plant species. Their ability to feed off of such a array of plants has enabled them to have a large variety of feeding resources, thus expanding the range of habitats they may inhabit. This particular species' (Acanthocephala terminalis) range extends from the eastern US and southern Ontario west to Colorado and Texas.
The family of Coreidae is large, with more than 1,900 species in over 270 genera. The Hutchinson niche concept allows a wide niche for this particular family of animals. The tolerance and requirements for conditions and resources for the Coreidae can be met on almost every continent of earth (with the exception of Antartica), making the Coreidae family cosmopolitan*.
*Cosmopolitan distribution:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_distribution
Species Identification: bugguide.net/node/view/188405
General info about Coreidae:
www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51777-Coreidae