Coreid Bug
G. sp.
Found on Guava, Psidium guajava, in a garden plot at Eldoret, Kenya. January 2014. Length is about 5mm.
Many Leaf-footed Bugs have enlarged or flared leg segments. This species lacks leg ornaments but instead has curiously thickened first segments of the antennae. With sharp stylettes these bugs pierce straight into tissue and with a powerful pump remove fluid. Coreid bugs focus their feeding activity on fruits and developing seeds. This feeding often causes the seeds to be infertile or to become infected with bacteria or molds. If the host is a crop for food, the farmer is not happy of course.