Acanthocephala femorata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 97th most-seen of the 189 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Leaf-Footed Bug in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in May–June, August and October–January, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 210 mm in September.
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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Florida Leaf-Footed Bug sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%) and Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Coreidae
The closest relatives of the Florida Leaf-Footed Bug that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Coreidae, Leaf-footed Bugs) are Eastern Leaf-Footed Bug (about 10%) and Giant Milkweed 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 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
