Spine-headed Bug (Acanthocephala terminalis)
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The most common of the three species within the genus Acanthocephala, this spine-headed bug does not have any other specific name. After bugs hatch, they pass through five instars, or stages of development, before reaching adulthood. The tiny insect shown above is a first instar. The second instar is pictured below.
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By the time the bug reaches the 5th instar, it is almost as large as an adult. In the next photo, the wing pads are evident, and the bug more closely resembles the adult, especially in the humped shoulders of the pronotum.
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Between every stage, the bug must molt its old skin. As soon as it emerges, it grows a bit more before the new skin hardens. Newly emerged bugs are often a light color, almost albino in appearance, such the pink adult pictured below at left. The old skin is visible in the upper left corner of the photo. Once the insect dries, it turns the usual dark brown (below right).
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class: Insecta / order: Hemiptera / family: Coreidae / genus: Acanthocephala / species: terminalis
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