If you're not looking carefully, you'll probably overlook this guy as just a piece of dead leaf. And because of that superb camouflage, this true bug known as Pephricus (of the family Coreidae) is rarely seen in the wild, even though it's a fairly common critter.
At home in bushes and grasslands, it can occasionally be spotted walking on the ground (tip for the bug hunters out there: the walk is often jerky, which is what can give it away). Despite those scary spines and appendages, it's a gentle bug and won't bite, so go on and hold it up to be admired. A committed vegetarian that feeds on plant sap, much like the leafhopper, it injects the stems of fresh shoots with its long needle-like rostrum, which lies neatly tucked away under its body.
And it might not look like it, but Pephricus can fly - take a careful look at the photos and you'll see a pair of delicate wings folded flat on its back.

Image: Peter Webb

Image: Peter Webb
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Earth Touch News
Peter Webb
Peter Webb has a passion for nature that started in childhood, ignited by David Attenborough's documentaries and fuelled by many hours spent tracking snakes, bugs and other creepy crawlies in the great South African outdoors. Photographing and studying the natural world that surrounds him have remained a lifelong interest. He currently lives in Gauteng, South Africa. VIEW more from this CONTRIBUTOR
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