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Rolling out the red flags
BBC Wildlife
|December 2025
Leg-waving display of the matador bug explained
DEEP IN THE RAINFORESTS OF PANAMA lives a colourful animal with quite the party trick. The matador bug (Bitta alipes), a small, leaf-footed insect, has elaborate hind legs adorned with vivid red 'flags' that it raises into the air and waves in a striking display.
For a long time, scientists assumed this flamboyant performance was part of the bug’s courtship ritual. But a new study, published in
This story is from the December 2025 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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