Bug FAQSweet potato bug
Physomerus grossipes · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Coreidae
Also called: Squash bug
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are about 2 cm long, brown with black legs and have the typical oval shape, segmented antennae and enlarged hind tibia of true bugs. They lay eggs on the undersides of leaves or stems of legumes and morning-glory family plants, and the eggs hatch in about two weeks. The insects develop through five nymphal stages over roughly 85 to 88 days before becoming adults.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They are brown with black legs and show the oval body, segmented antennae, veined forewing membrane, stink gland and enlarged hind tibia typical of Coreidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow to about 2 cm (0.79 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Feeding removes juice from stems, causing plants to wilt and reducing fruit production, so the bug is considered a pest.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Females lay eggs on the undersides of leaves or stems of the same legume and morning-glory plants they feed on, and also on nearby sedges.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on plants in the legume (Leguminosae) and morning-glory (Convolvulaceae) families, including sweet potato, other Ipomoea species, catjang, Clitoria ternatea and common bean.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch in about 15 days, and the nymphs pass through five stages over 85 to 88 days before reaching adulthood.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to Southeast Asia, ranging from Indonesia through Peninsular Malaysia to India.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Hawaii.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What crops does the sweet potato bug damage?
It damages sweet potatoes, other Ipomoea plants, catjang, Clitoria ternatea and common beans.
Source: Wikipedia
How long does it take for sweet potato bug eggs to hatch?
The eggs hatch in roughly 15 days.
Source: Wikipedia
How many nymphal stages does the sweet potato bug have?
It goes through five nymphal stages before becoming an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coreidae)
Western Conifer Seed BugLeptoglossus occidentalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Squash BugAnasa tristisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dock BugCoreus marginatus
Acanthocephala terminalisAcanthocephala terminalisHarmless
Eastern Leaf-footed BugLeptoglossus phyllopusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Giant leaf-footed bugAcanthocephala declivisSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physomerus_grossipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.