About Acanthocephala declivis (Say, 1832)
Acanthocephala declivis, commonly called the giant leaf-footed bug, is a species of North American true bug. Its distribution ranges from the southern United States south to El Salvador, and it also occurs on some Caribbean islands. Within this geographic range, it is the largest species in the genus Acanthocephala, with an adult body length that typically falls between 28 and 34 mm (1.1 to 1.3 inches). It can be told apart from similar related species in its range by two key physical traits: it has a much more broadly expanding pronotum that extends further past the abdomen, and it has blunt tubercles along the midline of its anterior pronotal lobe, a feature that is not found in other Acanthocephala species in the same area. A notable biological trait of this species is that male sexual competition depends on hind leg dimorphism. Males use their hind legs to squeeze competing males during contests for mating partners. The large tooth and femur of the species' hind legs have noticeably larger length and diameter than other body parts when compared proportionally. Females do not have these exceptionally large hind legs, though they also use their hind legs to display aggression during mating interactions.
