Acanthocephala femorata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Florida leaf-footed bug (Acanthocephala femorata) is a species of insect. The genus name Acanthocephala means "spiny head" and comes from the pointed tylus at the tip of the head. Acanthocephala femorata is found in the continental United States and Mexico.
This insect is considered a pest, eating and causing damage to citrus and roses. The lower rear legs are wider than the upper legs, with serrations. This is especially pronounced in the male. It has long, slim, curving antennae with distinctive orange tips. The body is reddish brown to nearly black.
They have a number of predators and therefore biological control is generally enough to prevent their populations from going out of control. Many do not make it past the larval stage; parasitic flies often lay their eggs within the developing larvae, paralyzing them. They are also eaten by birds and assassin bugs. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Leaf-Footed Bug sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 59 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 430th most-seen of the 1624 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and July–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Leaf-Footed Bug in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida Leaf-Footed Bug sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Florida Leaf-Footed Bug sightings, Austin has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Houston (United States, under 5%) and Orlando (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Acanthocephala
The closest relatives of the Florida Leaf-Footed Bug that you can see in Austin (genus Acanthocephala, Spine-headed Bugs) are Acanthocephala terminalis (about 10%) and Giant Leaf-Footed Bug (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Florida Leaf-Footed Bug is recorded against all the insects logged in Austin (59 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
