Broad-headed Bug - Alydus eurinus
Insect Order: Hemiptera (true bugs) / Family: Alydidae (Broad-headed Bugs) / Species: Alydus eurinus
Live adult broad-headed bugs photographed in the wild at Winfield, Illinois, USA.
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Broad-headed Bug - Alydus eurinus
Adult Male Broad-headed Bug

There are approximately 29 species of broad-headed bugs in North America. This species, Alydus eurinus, is the most abundant of the broad-headed bugs and is usually found on bush clover (Lespedeza capitata). The nymphs are remarkable ant mimics, while the adults resemble spider wasps (Pompilidae). As a second line of defense, both nymphs and adults exude chemicals known as allomones (butyric and hexanoic acids) from the metathoracic scent glands characteristic of true bugs.

Broad-headed Bug - Alydus eurinus
Wings are similar to leaf-footed bugs

Broad-headed Bug
This shot better shows the spurs on the tibia that betray this bug's kinship to the leaf-footed bugs.

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