Found a Flag-Footed Bug In My Yard

orange & black bug with white markings called the flag-footed
It waves its "flagged" legs around. Maybe a mating ritual?
See it move in the video below.

These are very cool bugs.

Or so my daughter announced, as she watches it move in the video below.

I have to agree.

We found this one in our yard in Puerto Armuelles, Panama.

They are known as Flag-footed, or Leaf-footed bugs.

They come in many colors and sizes and live all over the world.

In North America they are known as the Squash bug.

Well, one of the cousins (the Anasa tristis) of the bug in video below is called that because they tend to infest squash plants.

[leadplayer_vid id="56297B30418DC"]

But most members of this species are found in the tropics and subtropics.  I imagine that most of those are pretty colorful like the one in these photos.

The scientific name of the specific bug in these pictures and video is Anisocelis flavolineata.  These bugs belong to the Coreidae family.

Warning - Stink Glands

They have stink glands.  But other than that, they are perfectly harmless.

The stink gland odor is not disgusting. And it isn't cloying like the spray from a skunk.
The bugs only release their stink when they are grabbed, in self-defense.

So watch these fascinating bugs, but don't touch.

Research Sources:

- Wikipedia

- Naturewatch.org

- focusonnature.com

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