View allAll Photos Tagged assassinbug
We were out on our nightly photo walk when my wife brought my attention to this scene.
This large Assassin Bug was feeding on a hardy looking Harvestmen (Opiliones) on an oil palm tree.
It was perched 7 feet high, in an odd angle. 2 to 3 shots and it decided to face away!
Lucky for me, my wife loves the outdoors, the long photo walks, the night walks amidst heavy rain etc. She is a keen observer and frequently finds some crazy things for me. :-D
The Assassin Bug....(Pselliopus barberi)
The strong beak found on Assassin Bugs is used repeatedly, and violently to stab its prey to death, hence the name "Assassin". this insect will also inflict terrible painful bites to careless humans and is best left observed, but not handled.
Apiomerus flaviventris Herrich-Schaeffer, 1846 - Yellow-bellied Bee Assassin. Thanks to v belov for confirming the species ID on bugguide. Found at Madera Canyon in Santa Rita Mountains. Santa Cruz County, Arizona, USA.
Single exposure, moderately cropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
Rhynocoris iracundus (Rote Mordwanze) is a species of assassin bugs and it feeds exclusively on insects and arachnids. Its body length is about 15 mm and it uses its trunk (proboscis) as a weapon for self-defense. The bite of a murder bug is said to cause pain worse than a bee sting.
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
"Assassin" - This orange Assassin Bug did not seem to mind having its photo taken. A little too close, however. At the time I was a few inches away, I did not know that these bugs could impale with a painful stab of its proboscis.
Small Green Banded Blue - Psychonotis caelius - Common Assassin Bug - Pristhesancus plagipennis - European Honeybee - Apis mellifera
Non Native invasive species from North America. Had an incident with my car windscreen. Recovered fine but I made use of the reflection. Big beast just under 2 cm long.
This one got Explored!
Found at Auburn River National Park. Queensland, Australia.
Possibly Pristhesancus plagipennis?
Single exposure, uncropped, handheld, in situ. Canon MT-24EX flash unit, Ian McConnachie diffuser.
watch the VIDEO at rumble.com/v4cwnp
This little Jumping Spider (Colonus sylvanus, Salticidae, ID by Sebastian Moreno) was filmed in Mindo, Ecuador as it killed an Assassin bug (family Reduviidae) much bigger than itself. These predatory bugs use their long rostrum to inject a lethal saliva into other insects or spiders that liquefies the insides of the prey, which are then sucked out. But in this case the Assassin bug became itself assassinated by a Jumping Spider which jumped on its back, paralyzed it by a bite into its neck and later sucked it out./andreaskay/albums
I think this is some kind of Assassin bug (family Reduviidae), but I'm not sure which genus and species. It was hanging out on a blanket draped over the railing on our backyard deck, being a very patient subject.
Common Assassin Bugs (Pristhesancus plagipennis) have the long head with powerful proboscis. They use the powerful proboscis to puncture their prey. Their legs are long so that they have long attack distance. Adult bugs are brown in colour with transparent wings. Nymphs are dark brown to black with brightly orange abdomens.
Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC)
Kind of stands out in a crowd with those bold colors. It's a milkweed assassin bug nymph. A lot of insects associated with milkweed have the bright orange & black colors to warn predators they are toxic. This bug is not really associated with milkweed and got its name due to the resemblance to milkweed (nonassassin) bugs that do feed on milkweed. This one was on my Indian Hawthorn hedges. Confused yet?
Milkweed Assassin Bug Nymph (Zelus longipes)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com
There is always some drama going on on the milkweed plant. This time an assassin bug nymph murdered a helpless little Chalcid Wasp.
Chalcid Wasp (Orasema occidentalis)
Leafhopper Assassin Bug Nymph (Zelus renardii)
My photos can also be found at kapturedbykala.com
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.
This is rather an uncommon assassin bug in Hong Kong. I can't find any previous records for HK Island. It stayed put for a couple of minutes allowing me to take a reasonable series so I could cherry pick my favourites.We have had rain for many days but now we are getting longer spells in between the showers so this was a good reward for getting out.
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
A small juvenile assassin bug, with the eclipse-bitten sun projected through the leaf via a spotting scope.
Location: Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia
Predatory Reduviidae uses the long rostrum to inject lethal saliva that liquefies the insides of the prey, which are then sucked out. The saliva contains enzymes that digest the tissues they swallow. This process is generally referred to as extraoral digestion. The saliva is commonly effective at killing prey substantially larger than the bug itself.
Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.
Source: Wikipedia