Pink Bollworm vs South American Leaf-Footed Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pink Bollworm South American Leaf-Footed Bug
Scientific Name Pectinophora gossypiella Leptoglossus zonatus
Order Lepidoptera Hemiptera
Family Gelechiidae Coreidae
Size 15-20 mm wingspan 15-20 mm
Habitat Farmland Orchards
Diet Seed Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Asia, Africa, Americas, Oceania Americas from the United States through Argentina
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Pink Bollworm

A small dark moth whose pink-tinged larvae bore into cotton bolls and damage the fibers and seeds. It has been one of the most economically important cotton pests globally.

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Did You Know?

A massive sterile insect technique program successfully eradicated it from the southwestern United States by 2018.

South American Leaf-Footed Bug

A brown coreid bug with expanded leaf-like hind tibiae and a pale zigzag band across the forewings. It is a significant pest of corn, citrus, and pomegranates.

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Did You Know?

Its flattened hind leg expansions may serve to mimic leaf fragments or to intimidate rivals during territorial displays.