Here's the original picture of the young Milkweed Assassin Bug (left), and the adult (right).
And here are pictures of young Leaf-Footed Bugs. How can you tell them apart?
Mainly by thinking about where they are and what they're doing. I saw the assassin bug on a milkweed plant, where I had previously seen milkweed aphids. So it was a good bet that he as a predator, eating those aphids.
Two weeks ago, there was a brief infestation of adult leaf-footed bugs on my jalapeno peppers. The instars tend to cluster around the egg-site and that's what these guys were doing. If I had seen them on the milkweed plant, I might have thought they were just more of the assassin bugs.
If you're going to ask a nurseryman about garden insects, it's a good idea to make a mental note about what plant seems to be attracting them and what the bugs are doing. Sometimes it makes a big difference: assassin bugs are beneficial insects who eat other insects, while leaf-footed bugs are pests of the first order!
Did you know that assassin bugs fly? I hardly ever see them do it, but here's the proof!
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