Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Primarily plant-feeding, using their piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on seeds, pods and other reproductive parts of plants.

• It has a particularly strong association with leguminous trees, especially huizache (Acacia spp.) and mesquite (Prosopis spp.).

Range

• Mozena lunata is a leaf-footed bug (Coreidae) in the subfamily Coreinae, tribe Nematopodini.

• Its range extends from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America. Published records include the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

• Around Zihua, it would be considered occasional to locally common, particularly where suitable Acacia and other leguminous vegetation is present.

Habitat

• Particularly associated with tropical dry forest, thorn scrub, savanna, woodland and other seasonally dry habitats.

• It is strongly associated with Acacia and Prosopis, making leguminous woodland an especially productive habitat for the species.

• Adults and nymphs can occur on branches, foliage and developing seed pods.

Size

• Adults are medium-sized to large leaf-footed bugs, generally around 15–20 mm long.

• The body is elongated and relatively robust.

• The hind legs are modified but lack the dramatically expanded leaf-like tibiae seen in Leptoglossus.

• Colouration is generally brownish to reddish-brown, with contrasting darker and lighter markings.