The only species in the genus Coccobaphes, Coccobaphes frontifer is an unassuming little bug — so unassuming that it doesn’t have a common name beyond “plant bug”, which actually encompasses the whole family, Miridae. Coccobaphes comes from the Greek for “berry colored”. This is a very small, probably first or second instar, nymph; the adult…
Tag: cimicomorpha
Wheel Bug
One of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America, this bad boy (or girl) can reach up to 1.5 inches / 38mm in size (although subjectively it seems much bigger in person!). The wheel bug (Arilus cristatus) is an assassin bug, which means that big pointy bit on the front is in fact a…
Milkweed Assassin Bug
A handsome milkweed assassin bug (Zelus longipes), wandering along one of the tombs in St. Louis Cemetery No 1 in New Orleans. These brightly-colored, long-legged insects are ambush hunters, believe it or not, which stroll idly along foliage, reaching out to grasp prey with their front legs. Most species of Zelus seem to be cryptically…