Western conifer seed bug
| Western conifer seed bug | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Coreidae |
| Genus: | Leptoglossus |
| Species: | L. occidentalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 |
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The western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, sometimes abbreviated as WCSB, is a species of true bug (Hemiptera) in the family Coreidae. It is native to North America west of the Rocky Mountains (California to British Columbia, east to Idaho and Nevada) but has in recent times expanded its range to eastern North America, to include Connecticut, and has become an invasive species in parts of Europe.
This species is a member of the insect family Coreidae, or leaf-footed bugs, which includes other insects such as the Florida leaf-footed bug, L. phyllopus, and the dramatic-looking Acanthocephala femorata. Western conifer seed bugs are sometimes colloquially called stink bugs. This is an accurate description in that they are true bugs that stink, but they are not in the insect family of stink bugs, Pentatomidae.
The average length is 16-20 millimeters, with males being smaller than females. They are able to fly, making a buzzing noise when airborne. Western conifer seed bugs are somewhat similar in appearance to the wheel bug (Arilus cristatus) and other Reduviidae (assassin bugs). These, being Cimicomorpha, are not very closely related to leaf-footed bugs as Heteroptera go; though both have a proboscis, but only the assassin bugs bite even if unprovoked, and L. occidentalis like its closest relatives can be most easily recognized by the expanded hindleg tibiae and by the alternating light and dark bands which run along the outer wing edges on the flaring sides of the abdomen. Their primary defense is to spray a bitter, offending smell, though sometimes they can smell pleasantly of apples, bananas or pine sap; however, if handled roughly they will stab with their proboscis, though they are hardly able to cause injury to humans as it is adapted only to suck plant sap and not, as in the assassin bugs, to inject poison.
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Wikipedia