Assassin Bug Nymph
(Pselliopus sp)
The softer underside of the lady beetle is easier to pierce.
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Showing posts with label assassin bug. Show all posts
Showing posts with label assassin bug. Show all posts
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bee Assassin (Apiomerus crassipes)
Bee Assassin (Apiomerus crassipes)
Unlike many assassin bugs, Bee Assassins are good fliers. They also have sticky hairs on their front legs which help them secure their prey. It is probably for these reasons that the name "Bee Assassin" was bestowed upon them. They can capture bees while most other assassin bugs cannot. That does not mean Bee Assassin Bugs do not prey on other insects, however. In this case, I think the Bee Assassin is being an opportunistic scavenger. It is feeding upon a recently dead beetle up on our porch, a beetle perhaps stepped on during the previous night's activity under the porch light. The Bee Assassin avoided the beetle's hard shell by inserting its beak gap between head and thorax.
Once the beetle was punctured, salivary secretions were pumped through a canal inside the bug's piercing/sucking beak. The salivary secretions not only serve to quickly immobilize prey (in most cases) but they also dissolve the prey’s internal tissues. This process enables the assassin bug to withdraw the bodily contents of its prey.
Sources and Additional Information:
BugGuide Species Page
Beneficial Insects in the Garden
Assassin and Ambush Bugs of Kentucky
BugGuide Species Page
Beneficial Insects in the Garden
Assassin and Ambush Bugs of Kentucky
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)
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Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus)
This largest species of assassin bug can be found throughout most of North America. The "wheel" on the adult insect's back is unmistakable (see photo below). Immature nymphs are mostly red. Adults are grey to brown. Mature adults grow up to a bit over an inch long (25mm). All life stages prey on a variety of insects. Like all assassin bugs, wheel bugs can deliver a painful bite.
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BugGuide has an excellent series of photos showing the wheel bug's lifecycle from egg to adult.
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Saturday, July 05, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Black Corsair Assassin Bug
Black Corsair (Melanolestes picipes) -- Male
An assassin bug (Family: Reduviidae) that preys upon other insects and is found throughout much of North America, particularly the northeast, central, southern United States. Males are fully winged and can often be seen out and about during the spring, presumably searching for females. (This one was attracted through my open basement door and into my shop.) During mating, the spongy pads on the males' forelegs are used to help mount females. The pads are also said to aid in capturing prey.
Females corsairs have stunted, non-functional wings. They hunt under rocks, logs, and fallen leaves for ground-dwelling prey like caterpillars, crickets, and earthworms. Adults overwinter under logs, in piles of weeds, etc. (See Swamp Thing for a photo of a female Black Corsair.)
In general, assassin bugs have elongated heads and short, stout, curved proboscises. (Plant-feeding bugs tend to have longer, thinner and straighter proboscises which they hold against the underside of their bodies when not in use.) Assassin bugs feed by thrusting their proboscises forward and into the body of their prey. After injecting saliva to paralyze the prey, assassin bugs suck out the body fluids.
Jo can attest to the fact that an assassin bugs can and will thrust its proboscis into human flesh. A few yeas back an assassin bug accidentally ended up in our house and Jo attempted to return it outdoors. The bug failed to appreciate the her kindness and administered a bite. Jo said it hurt -- a lot.
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