Mozena Nymphs in Arizona

In Arizona, we have 4 confirmed recorded species of Mozena: arizonensis, brunnicornis, buenoi, pallisteri. The green nymphs with red limbs observed throughout the state of Arizona are the species Mozena arizonensis. Here's why:

I'll start at pallisteri. The absolute extreme of their range is a singular area between two mountains to the east of Tucson, the sky islands specifically. With their known range south of that, down in Mexico and Central America, it can be concluded that they only inhabit more thickly wooded areas, and would not be inclined to drift into sparsely vegetated urban areas and lay their eggs. That reasonably knocks them off.

Brunnicornis has only been seen once in the United States, in Cochise county, on a mountain pass bordering Mexico. Even then, it's not definite, as the observation of it doesn’t have a record of size, the main differentiator. There's no proof it has ever existed elsewhere in America, and all other recorded sightings have been at less than 19 degrees latitude, in Nicaragua and Mexico. Logically, going by its known range and environmental conditions, it wouldn’t reproduce, let alone pop up in urban Tucson.

Lastly, as for buenoi, it has never been verifiably recorded outside of Cochise county, akin to brunnicornis. All other records of it in the US are in TX. Even in Mexico, it has never been seen further west than in Cochise county, and the observations in Cochise themselves are really far out compared to all others (90 records), which paint a somewhat of a coherent range for the species. To be seen further west than Cochise would be quite abnormal. One can never say impossible, but this would be greatly implausible if it was to appear in urban Tucson as a nymph.

Then, just so that I leave no stone unturned, we can look at lunata, the most commonly observed Mozena species. Lunata has never been witnessed in AZ. The nymphs of it are well recorded in all stages, and have consistent features that appear on all individuals. For example, by the time their wings bud, they have red shoulders with thick black bordering, whereas the arizonensis have a thinner black border, no red, and generally have a more narrow pronotum. First instar lunata nymphs have black limbs, and their antennae have a pure white section on the third segment. The nymphs of lunata that have been “seen in AZ” on Bug Guide are starkly different than the verified lunata nymphs, and you’ll see that they are actually the same nymphs that are commonly seen in arizona, being arizonensis (I’m currently unable to log in due to some account email issues, so I can’t point that out on said posts yet).
https://bugguide.net/node/view/50767/bgimage
https://bugguide.net/node/view/2000153/bgimage

In AZ, the first instar nymphs commonly seen all have red limbs and antennae that are darkest at the tips (like the adults). The older ones have pale green limbs, and a black line of consistent width across the bottom of their pronotum. They all have these features, and look to be of the same species. The only species to exist here in all elevations and areas, urban, wooded, scrub, riparian, is M. arizonensis. They are the only extant species in these cities and regions where the nymphs with the above description are seen. They're also the only species seen west of the mountain east of Tucson, as well as north of there (the one mountain with the pallisteri sightings). That leaves arizonensis as the only possible species, and if that’s not enough, I’ve been keeping tabs on the nymphs that have hatched in 2 different areas of my property, and watching them grow. Hopefully I can get more pictures soon of them reaching their adult stages, though they are getting harder to find as they spread out.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&taxon_id=482531&locale=en-US&user_id=abstinence_enthusiast

In the end, without getting hypothetical, it can be concluded that these nymphs indeed are of the species arizonensis due to process of elimination and patterns of observation. Of course, it can be argued that there may be undescribed species in these areas, and these could be part of that, but that enters the realm of whataboutism, and can be said for near any insect. If there was another species definitively found to be inhabiting the city of Tucson and the Phoenix Metro, I’d accept that all nymphs would then have to be left at Mozena until proven otherwise, but unless that happens, they can be safely and confidently ruled to be M. arizonensis.

If you have any qualms with this conclusion and reasoning, or think I overlooked something, let me know by commenting here! I just thought this was way too long to put in a comment on someone's observation, so thats why I just made it a link. I've been looking into Mozena nymphs for a long while, as well as Chelinidea, so I've come to conclusions about the identifying factors, and didn't just pull this out of nowhere. I do wish there were pictures of nymphs of the other species mentioned besides lunata, but it seems that even the adults just aren't too commonly observed. Hopefully soon they'll be seen, and put a face to their names~ Anywho, let me know what you think. You're definately more seasoned than me regarding leaf footed bugs in general, so I'd always be willing to hear what you have to say. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and sorry it took so long for me to respond.

• Sophia

Posted on August 15, 2023 05:37 PM by abstinence_enthusiast