Diet

• Adults: Primarily herbivorous, feeding on leaves, flowers, buds, and other above-ground plant tissues. Depending on the species, hosts include legumes, solanaceous plants, and many other herbaceous plants. Some species can become significant agricultural pests.

• Larvae: Have a very different lifestyle from the adults. The early larval stage, known as a triungulin, is mobile and seeks out grasshopper eggs, which form an important food source. Later larval stages develop in or around the egg pod and consume the eggs.

Range

• Numerous species occur in Mexico, with records from both tropical and temperate regions. The Mexican fauna includes species documented from Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas, Sinaloa, Sonora, Guerrero, and many other states.

• Several species occur in the broader Zihuatanejo and Guerrero region, particularly in seasonally dry habitats.

Habitat

• Found in a wide variety of habitats, including tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, grassland, scrub, agricultural fields, meadows, woodland edges, and disturbed vegetation.

• Adults are commonly encountered on foliage and flowers, while larvae develop in soil-associated environments near grasshopper egg masses.

• Some species are attracted to lights at night.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 4–18 mm (0.16–0.71 in), depending on species.

• Bodies are generally elongate and relatively soft, with narrow, thread-like antennae and flexible elytra.

• Colouration varies considerably among species, ranging from black, grey and brown to striped, spotted or metallic forms.