#leaf footed bugs

even when they're not as goofy as the ones on this Enoplops scapha, hemipteran antennae are always so charming when they do the floppy dog ears thing. so expressive, if the expression you want to convey is "sad"

everyone knows life as a small bug is dangerous, but it also looks really annoying sometimes. this Enoplops scapha nymph was otherwise healthy, but had two parasitic mites on it enjoying a meal, which i'm sure is a nuisance when you can't reach your back

this plant was covered in nymphs, and some of its older siblings were dealing with the mite problem too. it can be difficult to tell whether mites are parasitic or only phoretic (using a larger animal for transport), but it's pretty clear that these are the former, due to a number of factors including the fact that these things Never Go Anywhere

the tilted angle on this Enoplops scapha wasn't planned since they walk around a lot and i just take whatever photos i can get when i'm not in the mood to chase them around for ages, but now you have a free mouse cursor if you want it

a boat bug (Enoplops scapha) looking especially perplexed thanks to the old reliable pseudopupils, a fitting expression for a relatively shy animal. coreids with big fun shaped antennae are my favorite coreids and these guys are a perfect example, there's a lot going on there

if you can't tell what you're looking at beyond a mysterious hemipteran that looks like it wants to be five different families, you're forgiven because that was my initial reaction as well - this is Prionotylus brevicornis, a leaf-footed bug, despite the lack of leaf feet and other typical features shared by its relatives. at least the typical head is there though, and the grass mimicry is spot-on

a recently matured Enoplops scapha getting uncomfortably close to its subadult sibling. coreids can't realistically harm each other as far as i'm aware so i doubt any territorial nonsense was going on, and they were both being very nonchalant about it anyway. it's possible the older one simply wanted to flex its early molt at the poor nymph