Stats

Lifespan: Up to 1 yr
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

One of the largest true bugs in North America, Acanthocephala terminalis is a heavy-bodied leaf-footed bug with a rusty-brown armored shell and broad, spiny shoulders. Adults release aggregation pheromones to gather in communal overwintering clusters—sometimes hundreds strong—hidden inside hollow logs or beneath loose bark.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Coreidae
Genus: Acanthocephala
Species: Acanthocephala terminalis