Broad-Headed Bug

Description:

A very cool bug about 1 cm long. It has very curved hind legs, a thin abdomen and two large white spots on each side of the thorax. Family Alydidae, the Broad-headed Bugs. Typical of this family is a long thin body, a broad head (as wide as the thorax) and a last antennal segment that is elongated and slightly curved (best seen in the second picture). In the genus Hyalymenus (as well as some other species in the family), the nymphs mimic ants in appearance and in some aspects of behavior, such as agitated movement and drumming of the antennae. They also tend to hang around with ants or live in ant nests for additional protection from predators. They feed mainly on seeds, piercing and sucking the juices from the seed.

Habitat:

Forest, Chorreadero Park, Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico.

Notes:

For some pictures of the ant-mimicing nymph, see the following references: http://rolfnussbaumer.photoshelter.com/i... http://butterflies.heuristron.net/bugs/b... http://bugguide.net/node/view/87065/bgim...