Acanthocephala declivis--this was found while driving to work one morning on the hood of my car! I was just picking up speed on my neighborhood road when my field assistant (in the passenger seat) noticed it flailing, upside-down, on the hood. We stopped and captured it for later study. It likely fell onnto my hood from an oak tree above, and it was immobilized by the cold weather--about 45F. I've not seen this species previously in the NC Piedmont--I usually find only Acanthocephala terminalis. Length is 31 mm (measured, tip of abdomen to base of tylus)--really large!
Acanthocephala declivis--as I manipulated it on a craft foam stage, it would occasionally tilt one side of its body up in this fashion. I got a whiff and realized it was presenting its defensive scent gland to me. The inset shows full detail from the same frame. The odor was strongly aromatic, but not really unpleasant.