Diet

• Adults: Herbivorous, feeding by piercing plant tissues with their straw-like mouthparts and sucking plant sap from leaves, stems, flowers and developing fruits.

• Nymphs: Also feed on plant juices and generally remain associated with their host plants while developing.

Range

• Bitta is a genus of leaf-footed bugs (Coreidae) in the subfamily Coreinae, tribe Eumaeini, subtribe Strymonina.

• The genus is Neotropical, with species occurring primarily in Mexico, Central America and northern South America.

• It is occasionally sighted in Zihua, where tropical vegetation provides suitable habitat.

Habitat

• Associated with tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, woodland, scrub, forest edges and secondary vegetation.

• Adults are generally found on shrubs, vines and trees, particularly where fresh foliage and developing fruits are present.

• Around Zihua, examine low vegetation and woody plants along forest edges and clearings, especially during the rainy season.

• Their subdued coloration and relatively slender bodies can make them easy to overlook.

Size

• Adult length: generally approximately 10–18 mm (0.4–0.7 in), depending on species.

• Body elongated and relatively slender compared with many other Coreidae.

• Usually brown or greyish-brown, often with subtle markings that provide camouflage against stems and dried vegetation.

• The hind legs have the characteristic expanded tibiae associated with leaf-footed bugs, although the expansion is not especially pronounced.