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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Pentatomomorpha » Leatherbugs (Coreoidea) » Leaf-footed Bugs (Coreidae) » Coreinae » Anisoscelini » Leptoglossus

Genus Leptoglossus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Works Cited
Western Conifer Seed Bug - Leptoglossus occidentalis Bugs on pomegranate tree - Leptoglossus Leptoglossus nymph ? - Leptoglossus Western Conifer Seed Bug - Leptoglossus occidentalis ? - Leptoglossus oppositus Leptoglossus phyllopus fifth-instar nymph (on Asclepias curassavica) - Leptoglossus phyllopus Western Conifer Seed Bug - Leptoglossus occidentalis Western conifer seed bug - Leptoglossus occidentalis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Infraorder Pentatomomorpha
Superfamily Coreoidea (Leatherbugs)
Family Coreidae (Leaf-footed Bugs)
Subfamily Coreinae
Tribe Anisoscelini
Genus Leptoglossus
Explanation of Names
Leptoglossus Guérin-Méneville 1831
Greek 'narrow tongue'
Numbers
13 spp. in our area, >60 total ((1)(2), BG data)
Size
15-20 mm
Identification
Large coreids with expanded leaf-like hind tibiae, usually brown with transverse white markings across hemelytra
Key to spp. in(3)
Range
New World (L. gonagra pantropical, L. occidentalis introduced to Europe)(1); widespread in our area(3)
L. ashmeadi FL-MS
L. balteatus FL [not yet in the guide]
L. brevirostris TX-CA
L. clypealis c. & sw. US to IA
L. concolor NC-FL TX AZ
L. corculus NY-FL to MO-TX
L. fulvicornis MA-FL-TX
L. gonagra Gulf States
L. jacquelinae TX
L. occidentalis BC-CA to AB-TX, rapidly expanding to the Atlantic states
L. oppositus NY-FL to MN-AZ
L. phyllopus NY-FL to IA-KS-TX-CA
L. zonatus sw. US; reported in FL
Food
some are extremely polyphagous (L. phyllopus, L. gonagra), others specialize on plants of a single genus (L. ashmeadi & L. brevirostris on Phoradendron, L. fulvicornis on Magnolia)(4)
Remarks
most of our spp. are considered economically damaging(4)
See Also
Acanthocephala: hind tibia expansion generally longer and narrower
Narnia: more fuzzy, hind tibia narrower, pronotum yellowish
Print References
Allen, R.C. (1969). A revision of the genus Leptoglossus Guerin (Hemiptera: Coreidae). Entomologica Americana 45: 35-140 (Full Text)
Hussey, R.F. (1953). Concerning some North American Coreidae (Hemiptera). Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 48: 29-34. (Full Text)
Works Cited
1.Livermore L.J.R., Lemaître V.A., Dolling W.R., Webb M.D. Coreoidea species file online. Version 5.0
2.Illustrated key for identification of the species included in the genus Leptoglossus...
Harry Brailovsky. 2014. Zootaxa 3794(1):143-178.
3.Eastern range extension of Leptoglossus occidentalis with a key to Leptoglossus species of America north of Mexico
McPherson J.E., Packauskas R.J., Taylor S.J., O'Brien M.F. 1990. Great Lakes Entomol. 23: 99‒104.
4.Heteroptera of economic importance
Schaefer C.W., Panizzi A.R. (eds). 2000. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 828 pp.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, Aaron Schusteff, Ron M., v belov, KenW
Last updated 17 February, 2025 - 12:16am

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