Broad-headed Bug
G. sp.
Found in a garden at Moshi, Tanzania where it was feeding on fruiting Phytolacca. December 2013.
All True Bugs, including Broad-headed Bugs, have specialized mouthparts for taking liquefied food. With sharp stylettes they pierce straight into tissue and with a powerful pump remove fluid. Leaf-footed bugs focus their feeding activity on fruits and developing seeds. This feeding often causes the seeds to be infertile or to become infected with bacteria or molds. If the host plant is a food crop, the welfare of the farmer is diminished.