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Blue-Black-Golden Bug
Location: India, Khajuraho, Garden of Taj Chandela
December 19, 2011 8:49 am
Date: 7. Nov. 2011, 2:00 p.m.
Wonderful Blue-Black-Golden Bug sitting in the garden.
Can anybody help to identify this insect?
Thank you very much,
Juergen J. Mueller

This is an Assassin Bug, but your photo is too small to post.

Signature: Juergen J. MuellerAssasin Bug
Location: Location: India, Khajuraho, Garden of Taj Chandela
December 19, 2011 2:04 pm
Thank you,
hier is a larger photo from the Assassin Bug for posting.
Date: 7. Nov. 2011, 2:00 p.m.
Juergen J. Mueller
Signature: Juergen J. Mueller

Assassin Bug from India

Hi again Juergen,
Thank you for sending a larger photo.  We have posted your request.  The detail in the larger image may help us identify the species of predatory Assassin Bug.

Karl provides an identification:  December 29, 2011
Re: Assassin Bug from India – December 19, 2011
Hi Daniel and Juergen:
I believe your Assassin Bug belongs to the genus Sycanus (Reduvidae: Harpactorinae). There are at least 18 species listed for India and many look quite similar, so getting a species identification is going to be difficult. You can check out these images of S. collaris from Thailand and S. croceovittatus from Hong Kong and Russia (?).  Both species look quite similar to your Assassin Bug and both also occur in India. The concern I have is that most, but not all, Sycanus species display a fairly prominent scutellar spine (sticking out from the middle of the back) and I don’t really see one in the posted image. Apparently the spine is sometimes missing from individuals of ‘spined’ species (I can’t see one on the bug featured in the Hong Kong link, above, either). It could be one of several species that have a reduced spine or none at all. Perhaps it is there but not visible due to lighting or the angle of the shot, or it may have lost its spine. I hope this helps. Regards. Karl

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