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Havinthus rufovarius Bergroth, 1895. Thanks to Jean and Fred Hort for providing the species determination in comments below. Found at Hotham River Nature Reserve, S of Pingelly. Western Australia, Australia.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
[Insecta_Hemiptera_Reduviidae_Rhynocoris_Rhynocoris iracundus (très probable)]
Rhynocoris iracundus très probable (deux autres espèces peuvent être très ressemblantes).
C’est une grande punaise rouge et noire au corps élancé et déprimé que l’on trouve sur diverses plantes herbacées ou arbustives (ici sur Buddleia davidii) où elle chasse à l’affût divers insectes. Elle les capture avec ses pattes avant ravisseuses puis les transperce grâce à son rostre puissant. Elle ne pique les humains qu’accidentellement ou lorsqu’elle est dérangée (la piqûre peut être douloureuse ; c’est pourquoi je n’ai pas testé si elle méritait son qualificatif d’« irascible »). En plus d’avoir une couleur signifiant un danger pour d’éventuels prédateurs, elle peut émettre une stridulation d’avertissement en frottant son rostre contre une rainure située sous la tête. Malgré cela, elle est la proie de grandes araignées et de divers oiseaux et rongeurs.
Source : Monaco Nature Encyclopaedia
Most likely Rhynocoris iracundus (two other species may look very similar).
It is a large red and black bug with a slender, flattened body, found on various herbaceous plants and shrubs (here on Buddleia davidii), where it lies in wait to hunt various insects. It captures them with its grasping forelegs and then pierces them with its powerful rostrum. It only bites humans accidentally or when disturbed (the bite can be painful; that is why I have not tested whether it deserves its ‘irascible’ epithet). As well as having a colour that signals danger to potential predators, it can emit a warning chirp by rubbing its rostrum against a groove beneath its head. Despite this, it falls prey to large spiders and various birds and rodents.
Source: Monaco Nature Encyclopaedia
assassin bug nymphs
update 2023 Oct: these were mis-identified by me going by some wrong attributions elsewhere on the internet and are actually leaf-footed bug nymphs
When I took the photo I didn't notice the Crab Spider having lunch. I did notice the Saw Bug, AKA Wheel Bug on the prowl.
For what it's worth, they both bite. I don't know about the Crab Spider but I do know that Wheel Bugs HURT! I don't recommend trying to pet them.
They are beneficial as they prey on other harmful insects including those horrid Japanese Beetles that are eating the leaves off my tree until the Hibiscus start blooming.
When I turned my attention back to this scene, I was surprised to find this! The little bug had crept in along the web and captured the spider.
I didn’t know there are spider assassins, but I looked it up and found that is indeed what it is. Apparently it's such a specialist that Wikipedia says "especially spiderlings of Parasteatoda tepidariorum" - and that is what this spider was. For an assassin bug, it’s a thin wisp of a thing, yet it’s in the same family with Wheel Bugs and kissing bugs and all those other stabby assassins.
31 Arachtober 2021, 2/4
First image in the series is here
Thread-legged Bug, Stenolemus lanipes
with juvenile Common House Spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Hixson, TN • 9 June 2021
Here's a Rhynocoris annulatus assassin bug who has donned its best red and black legwarmers to try and look like Jennifer Beals.
Is it pulling the look off well?
Part 1, more from the front here: www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50069340921/)
This little guy was wondering around a Macadamia orchard at night.
Check out my website for prints, licensing or to contact me for image use requests: www.jamesdoreyphotography.com.au
For Halloween, I have a spider nightmare. I'll admit I feel kind of bad sharing it here, since spiders have been our protagonists for a month. The main character of this series is so fascinating, though, and a spider nightmare seems apropos for Halloween.
Back in June when I first got to my dad’s house in TN, I was going out every night to see what showed up to the patio lights. One night I spotted this tiny pale delicate thing that at first appeared to be caught in a spider’s web. It wasn’t moving much and the spider didn’t run over to it, being preoccupied with other prey, so I turned my attention to some other more active thing that was vying for my attention.
There are several photos to this series:
31 Arachtober 2021, 1/4
Thread-legged Bug, Stenolemus lanipes
with juvenile Common House Spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Hixson, TN • 9 June 2021
Found this 'cute' green assassin bug hiding deep in our lantana. About 1 inch long at most. Shot wide open for fun, very shallow DOF. A nice break from those scary butterfly photos. :)
"The Spined assassin bug is found across Canada, throughout the United States and into northern Mexico. It hangs out in sunny grasslands and agricultural fields, where it feeds on the adults, larvae/nymphs, and eggs of a wide variety of insects – crop pests and “good bugs” alike these.
It feeds in the time-honored bug fashion – puncturing its prey with its sharp “beak,” injecting saliva that softens its prey’s innards (“external digestion”), and then slurping out the liquefied tissue. It often waits vertically, head down, on flowers. Goldenrod is a common perch in fall."
Information from: COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCE
Field Station, 2022 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee website
Found this assassin bug in one of our daylilies between rain showers and storms, had to grab a few photos, all handheld. Some not quite in perfect focus but it's not likely I will see it again. I've seen assassin bugs in the past but never this variety. No ID so far, over 150 varieties. They use that curved, pointed proboscis to stab and inject toxin to kill their prey, thus their name. They then used it to suck out the inside. They will use it to defend themselves, as well, which can be painful to human.
Glad these aren't our size! :-) Would make a great horror film monster.
Found at Auburn River National Park. Queensland, Australia.
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
Ant assassin bug (Inara flavopicta), nymph with ant carcasses glued to its back for concealment. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
I think that this will be an assassin bug but am not certain without seeing the snout.
Another insect seen close to the dam we stooped at en route back to Bogota.
I assume this is the same Zelus cervicalis nymph I found earlier this week, as it was located in the same general area of my flower bed. Feeling a bit cocky, I decided to get a 1:1 this time! On approach, he laid low and began sizing me up, which gave me a perfect opportunity to capture his full frame.
Science-y stuff aside this time, I really love the way these guys look. As adults, they become a boring, bark-like brown to better blend in. But as nymphs, they are simply stunning! There's spikes, stripes, spots and spines in varying shades of citrus, and a view like this is almost worth the risk of being jabbed!
...almost.
This native needle-nose was captured at 1:1 by my Vivitar (Komine) 90mm f2.8 Macro. This photo is uncropped. This attractive assassin is around 8-9mm long.
Not a tasty flan, or a Jell-O salad, but a 3-mm. wide cluster of assassin bug eggs (possibly Zelus sp.) in my garden.
Anyone remember the movie Starship Troopers? There's not a lot of doubt where they got the inspiration for the brain bugs is there? A Wheel Bug like this one combined with a grub worm would just about do it....
If you ever get the urge to pet one of these, don't do it. They bite. And it hurts, a LOT
The assassin bug nymph has been lingering on this gerbera daisy for days. This morning he appears to be eyeing his visitor, a brown marmorated stink bug. I think the assassin is too young to do any damage, but I'll be watching.