Tuesday 15 November 2011

Reduviidae, Assassin Bug

Reduviidae (from the contained genus, Reduvius which comes from the Latin reduvia meaning hangnail or remnant) is a large, cosmopolitan family of predatory insects in the suborder Heteroptera.
It includes assassin bugs , wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus), and thread-legged bugs. There are about 7000 species altogether, making it one of the largest families in the Hemiptera.

Adult insects often range from 4 to 40 mm. They most commonly have an elongated head with a distinct narrowed neck, long legs, and a prominent, segmented tube for feeding (rostrum). Most species are dark in color with hues of brown, black, red, or orange. The most distinctive feature of the family is that the tip of the rostrum fits into a groove in the prosternum, where it is rasped against ridges there (a stridulitrum) to produce sound, a tactic often used to intimidate predators. If harassment continues, they can use their rostrum to deliver a painful bite which in some species can be medically significant.




Thread Legged Assassin Bug

Masked Hunter Nymph

Thread Legged Assassin Bug

Thread Legged Assassin Bug


Masked Hunter Nymph


Acanthaspis sp, Ant Snatcher














Acanthaspis sp, Ant Snatcher




Thread Legged Assassin Bug
Thread Legged Assassin Bug

2 comments:

  1. Looks like you haven't updated your blog for some time but I just wanted to say how wonderful and inspirational I have found your photographs. Brilliant work!

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