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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

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Family Leptopodidae - Spiny-Legged Bugs

Representative Images

Bark louse? - Patapius spinosus Spiny bug - Patapius spinosus Other Spiny guy - Patapius spinosus Patapius spinosus Patapius spinosus Patapius spinosus? - Patapius spinosus Patapius spinosus 18Oct2021 - Patapius spinosus Patapius spinosus 18Oct2021 - Patapius spinosus

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 Leptopodomorpha
Family Leptopodidae (Spiny-Legged Bugs)

Explanation of Names

Leptopodidae Brullé 1836

Numbers

A single (adventive) species in our area(1), ~40 spp. in 10 genera total(2)

Range

worldwide(2); in our area, w. US to ID‒TX(1)(2)(Brothers 1979)

Habitat

most live along streams and other wet areas, but our species (the adventive Patapius spinosus) can be found far from water in semiarid conditions(2)

Works Cited

1.Alien true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in Canada: composition and adaptations
Scudder G.G.E., Foottit R.G. 2006. Can. Entomol. 138: 24-51.
2.Biodiversity of the Heteroptera
Henry T.J. 2009. In: Foottit R.G., Adler P.H., eds. Insect biodiversity: Science and society. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell: 223−263.
Contributed by v belov on 1 February, 2012 - 8:16pm
Last updated 9 October, 2023 - 3:02pm

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