six legs, scorpion end, black & red/orange, walks like a walkingstick
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Hello!
This is my first submission of a picture to you, I think. Though I have used your site for years. Thanks! 
We live in West Lafayette, Indiana and we found this bug on June 26th, 2009. We took several pictures – do with them what you like. I found this bug crawling up the side of an interior door frame in our house. At first glance, I was sure it was a spider. Then I could only find six legs and two long antennae. I also thought of a scorpion as its rump went up in the air. The way it walked reminded me of a walkingstick or praying mantis. It was black and bright red/orange. We tried to take pictures of it inside, then finally took it outside and got a few shots.
Please, do you know what kind of bug this is?
Thanks! -Anne
Anne
West Lafayette, Indiana
Wheel Bug Nymph
Hi Anne,
This is an immature Wheel Bug and it is one of the Assassin Bugs. Most Assassin Bugs are beneficial predators, but they are also capable of biting painfully if mishandled.
¶
Posted 29 June 2009
§
‡
°
Colorful orange bug found in Tennessee
Mon, Jun 15, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Hi there. I just found your fantastic website. I love it! I dug out this old photo of a bug I saw when walking on a mountain Trail in Tennessee one summer several years back. This bug was about an inch and a half long, moved very slowly and so bright orange that I could not miss it. What do you think?
MB, Butler, PA
Tennessee Mountains
Freshly Molted Wheel Bug
Hi MB,
We are certain that this is an Assassin Bug, and are nearly certain that it is a newly metamorphosed Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus. When Wheel Bugs first metamorphose into adults, they are orange, but as the exoskeleton hardens, it darkens to dark gray or black. We found a matching image on BugGuide to support our identification.
¶
Posted 16 June 2009
§
‡
°
Exotic looking insect
Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 11:45 AM
I saw these in my backyard and have no idea what they are. I am sending this pic because describing them would not give a clear picture as to what they are.
Eric
Pennsylvania
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Hello Eric,
We just posted a letter and photo of a Wheel Bug nymph, and we mentioned that we often get sightings of Wheel Bug hatchlings in the spring. Hours later, your photo of Wheel Bug hatchlings arrived. Wheel Bugs are a species of Assassin Bugs and they are beneficial predators in the yard, but they can bite if provoked. Hatchling Wheel Bugs are often described as antlike or spiderlike, and they look very different from the winged adult with the coglike structure of the thorax which resembles a wheel.
¶
Posted 02 June 2009
§
Eggs
‡
°
In Georgia – Black with Red Back
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 5:35 PM
I have never seen this insect here in Georgia before. Image attached.
Thanks.
AJS
Atlanta, Georgia
Wheel Bug Nymph
Dear AJS,
This is an immature Wheel Bug, one of the Assassin Bugs. In the spring, we often get identification requests for hatchling Wheel Bugs which resemble ants and stay in a group, and beginning in mid summer, photos of adult Wheel Bugs will begin to appear in our mail. Your photo is of an older nymph that has ventured from its siblings. Wheel Bugs can bite if provoked, and the bite is painful, but they are advantageous predators.
¶
Posted 02 June 2009
§
‡
°
Unidentified fly (?) in AZ
Fri, May 22, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Found this evening while pruning hybrid Chilean mesquite; overall length is ~16mm. Compared with images from your website, but could not find any matches. Any idea what it might be?
AJ
Phoenix, AZ
Metallic Wood Boring Beetle
Hi AJ,
This isn’t a fly, which might explain your difficulty with the identification. It is a Metallic Wood Boring Beetle in the family Buprestidae. We believe it is in the genus Chrysobothris. BugGuide pictures a group from this genus known as the femorata species group, and there is a photo from Arizona that looks quite close to your specimen. We are not sure if Eric Eaton will be able to respond to us at the moment, but we will contact him for his opinion. The second insect in your first photo is an immature Assassin Bug, probably in the genus Zelus.
Metallic Wood Boring Beetle
Daniel:
I don’t even know if that buprestid is a Chrysobothris. I’ll try and get folks on Entomo-l listserv to respond to you, but it is the holiday weekend, of course….
Eric
Orange Bug
Sun, May 10, 2009 at 8:34 AMMany immature and adults seen on podocarpus in central Florida. This shrub has had a problem with aphids. The adults flew readily when approached. The immature just crawled around. Adults are about 3/4 inch long.
Eric
Central Florida
Milkweed Assassin Bug
Hi Eric,
This is an immature Milkweed Assassin Bug and it is a beneficial predator. The fact that the podocarpus has Aphids is a good indication that the Milkweed Assassin Bugs are feeding on the Aphids. Adult Milkweed Assassin Bugs have wings. We are very happy to have images of both immature and adult Milkweed Assassin Bugs to post with your letter. Handle Milkweed Assassin Bugs with care as they are capable of biting and will do so if mishandled.
Milkweed Assassin Bug
¶
Posted 11 May 2009
§
‡
°
Orange bug with striped legs
Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 6:45 AM I have found several orange bugs about 1/4″ in length in my house. They appear to have wings and 6 legs with yellow/black stripes on them. They have 2 antennas well. I found them crawling on the edges of doors. Any info you can provide would be great. Thanks!
Lauren
Ellicott City, Maryland
Assassin Bug: Unnecessary Carnage
Hi Lauren,
This is an Assassin Bug, Pselliopus barberi, and the species has no common name. It appears as though your specimen was squashed in a tissue, and this was an example of Unnecessary Carnage, since this insect is a beneficial predator thay will not harm your home. If mishandled, it may bite.
6 legged orange butt black leggs
Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Hi, My name is Sonya and I noticed these bugs on my October Maple tree about 2-3 weeks ago. I live in the Charleston South Carolina area. There is a grouping of these small 6 black legged bugs with orange butts. They tend to stay grouped together but you can find smaller groups of 2-3 in other areas of the tree. I also noted today that there was 2 larger ones that were different colors, mostly orange and some yellow with little to no black on them, they appeared to be mating with some smaller bugs with no orange on them, just black and smaller butts. When I went out with the camera a couple of hours later, after finding this site, I couldn’t find the different ones. Also since I’ve first noted the bugs their butts have changed slightly and now appear to have small black dots in the center of the rear. They also have a small nest of sorts that is dripping stuff down the tree.
Wheel Bug Eggs and Hatchlings
I hope this is descriptive enough. Thank you very much for your help. I’ve lived in SC my whole life and don’t recall ever seeing these bugs before.
Sonya in SC
South East
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Hi Sonya,
These are newly hatched Hemipterans, or True Bugs. It is often very difficult to properly identify hatchlings, but we believe these are Wheel Bugs a type of Assassin Bug. Wheel Bugs, Arilus cristatus, are predators. The nest you noticed are the eggs laid in a distinctive cluster by the female Wheel Bug. The hatchlings stay together for a very short time and then they go rogue to hunt alone. You can compare your specimens to this photo on BugGuide. The one thing that would make us suspect these may be some other Hemipteran is that in one of your photos, the hatchlings appear to be feeding off of tree sap. We are uncertain if perhaps immature Wheel Bugs may be attracted to certain plant juices.
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
¶
Posted 11 April 2009
§
Eggs
‡
°
mystery bug #1
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 6:39 PM
Greetings! And thanks in advance for your help with this. I first noticed this sort of bug after Hurricane Ivan blew through the Florida Panhandle a few years back. They are plentiful in the summer, eating my tomatoes, among other things. I noticed this one today. It has a long black proboscis tucked under its head, a bright red narrow body, and has white dots on its back. What a beautiful creature! I hope you can see the long slender black legs and antennae. In the side view, the proboscis is highlighted in the light and looks white, but it is black. the body length is approximately 1 cm, and width about 3 mm. I am curious if this bug changes color throughout its life cycle because I have seen bright orange ones as well. Thanks again- I am looking forward to hearing from you!
Miriam Craft
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Immature Milkweed Assassin Bug
Mystery bug #2
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 6:49 PM
Mystery bug #2
Here’s another one I saw this morning. This one is new to me. The picture shows iridescent wings in green and black, a bright orange and black body with long slender black legs and antennae. I got him on my glove, but couldn’t see if he had a proboscis before he flew away. I am also curious as to the life stages of this insect, and corresponding colors. Thanks again!
Miriam Craft
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Milkweed Assassin Bug
Hi Miriam,
Both of your photos are the same species. You have a flightless nymph and winged adult Milkweed Assassin Bug, Zelus longipes, a predatory species that is capable of inflicting a painful bit if carelessly handled. Its coloration is quite distinctive and it is found in the Southern states. You may read more about the species on BugGuide.
¶
Posted 08 March 2009
§
‡
°
Assassin bug?
Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:07 AM
Hi bugman,
Think its an assassin bug but wondering if you can get it down to species or family level. Found it near a shore location (near the sea) on an island in Singapore. It was fast moving and I didn’t want to provoke it lest it bite me with that stinger. Singapore is south of Malaysia, located on the equator. Also caught one today, but photo is unavailable yet. Do you have any links on tropical assassin bug websites? Thanks!
Cheers, mins
Singapore
Unknown Assassin Bug from Singapore
Hi mins,
This is an Assassin Bug, but it is past midnight and we have an early call tomorrow. We cannot take the time to identify the species tonight, but perhaps one of our readers will provide a comment or write back to us with an identification.
Little fat dirty bug
Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 1:30 PM
I found this on my front porch. It was skittish, sluggish runner, but not exactly slow. I have seen one other of these, and they cover themselves with dirt, sand, and look moldy & or dirty!
It’s new to me, I don’t even know what category to look under, it’s not a beetle, has no wings, etc. I am very interested in knowing what it is!
Lisa Gerard
Billings, MT
Immature Masked Hunter
Hi Lisa,
This is an immature Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus. It is interesting that you mention the insect being fat because if does look fatter than most specimens we receive, however it is a very close match to one image posted to BugGuide. We are not used to seeing them covered in sand as most specimens sent to us for identification are found indoors and they are covered in lint. According to BugGuide: “Nymphs cover themselves with dust, lint, sand, and other debris – which usually matches the color of their immediate surroundings and makes the nymphs difficult to detect” and “the sticky body surface of the nymph accumulates a coating of dust, lint, sand, etcetera, which masks the presence of the predatory nymph .” Masked Hunters feed on a variety of insects. They are Assassin Bugs and will inflict a painful bite if mishandled, but they are not aggressive. We are happy to inform you that your letter and photo will be featured all month as our Bug of the Month for March 2009.
Immature Masked Hunter
Unknown Bug
Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 2:25 PM
I saw this bug on top of an aircraft wing and took this picture. I scooped it up on some paper and was looking at it. It had a very long neck with eyes on the end. After some fun, I took it to an open doorway to set it free – only to discover that it had wings hidden along its back. The bug took off and scared the breath out of me! I have some additional pics that I will locate and send… The bug is about 3 inches long
Just Wondering
Saint Louis
Wheel Bug
Dear Just Wondering,
We are guessing that this Wheel Bug is not a recent sighting. Wheel Bugs are large Assassin Bugs and they are predators. All of our information indicates that while they are not aggressive, the bite of a Wheel Bug is quite painful, so they should be handled with care.
¶
Posted 24 February 2009
§
‡
°
Assassin bug
Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Sear sirs,
I was trying to identify a bug that I took a photo of this morning. He was eating a small ant. Based on my search for a red bug with white spots I found your web and Id’ it as an Assassin bug.
Thanks!
Chris
Baton Rouge La
Milkweed Assassin Bug Nymph
Hi Chris,
This is an immature Milkweed Assassin Bug, Zelus longipes. Though there is another small winged insect in your photo, the Assassin Bug does not appear to be feeding.
¶
Posted 20 February 2009
§
‡
°
Some kind of Leaf Footed Bug?
Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 11:55 PM
I’ve found the attached bug on one of my rose bushes and on a pine tree. I can’t seem to figure out what kind of bug it is. Any help would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Greg R.
Bristow, VA
Wheel Bug Nymph
Hi Greg,
Often the identification of immature insects can be very difficult and your specimen is a nymph. It is not a Leaf Footed Bug, but rather an Assassin Bug. We are relatively certain this is a Wheel Bug, one of the larger Assassin Bugs that is quite distinctive as an adult because of the coglike “wheel” on the thorax that is not evident in the nymph. Assassin Bugs are beneficial predators, but they will also bite humans if mishandled, and the bite is quite painful.
¶
Posted 09 February 2009
§
‡
°
Unknown Assassin with unknown wasp while mites hitch a ride (aussietrev)
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Hi guys,
Found this tableau on a grass stem. The only thing I know ID for are the red mites on the assassin bug. Both the bug and the wasp are quite tiny. Any ideas anyone?
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Assassin Bug with prey and Mites
Hi Trevor,
Sorry for the delay, but we have had a crazy busy week. While we agree with the Assassin Bug and Mites, we are unable to identify the species. We are not convinced the prey is a Wasp. It almost looks like another Hemipteran. We will see if Eric Eaton thinks Hemipteran or Hymenopteran.
Confirmation:
I agree with you, Daniel, the victim here is another hemipteran, something in the family Rhyparochromidae most likely.
Eric
Mystery Tanzanian bug
Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Mystery Tanzanian bug
Dear WTB,
I’m hoping someone can help me identify this splendid black and red specimen that was given to me as a Christmas present (yes really!) last week by the manager of the Sable Mountain safari lodge in the Selous game reserve, eastern Tanzania. He didn’t know what it is either, but he thought I might like it (!).
It was about 2 inches long in the body and has a strange curved mouthpart. Sorry the photo is blurry as it was camera shy and kept moving!
Sally
Selous game reserve, Tanzania
Red Spot Assassin Bug
Hi Sally,
Your strikingly beautiful insect is a Red Spot Assassin Bug, Platymeris laevicollis, which we located on the Saint Louis Zoo Website, or a closely related species. If mishandled, Assassin Bugs will deliver a painful bite.
¶
Posted 04 January 2009
§
‡
°
Painful small flying insect sting
Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 10:54 AM
My wife was taking a bag outside when she felt a sting on her finger. She had to physically remove the bug off her finger. She indicated that the sting was quite painful like a wasp. It never tried to fly off and we were able to easily capture it. We didn’t see a stinger in her finger but it did leave a small hole and with a white circle around the sting area. We tried looking through your site and thought it seemed similar to a scorpion fly but it seems those don’t sting. Hopefully you can identify it. Thanks !
BLW
Central Texas
Zelus Assassin Bug
Hi BLW,
This is an Assassin Bug in the genus Zelus. We have difficulty providing identifications to the species level in this genus except for a few distinctive species. We frequently get reports of Zelus Assassin Bugs biting people. They do not bite people for food and there must be some other reason for the bit occurring, like a reaction to some physical contact. Our reports are that the bite is quite painful, but that there is no lasting negative effect. You can try searching BugGuide for additional information.
¶
Posted 27 December 2008
§
‡
°
Unknown bug
Sat, Dec 20, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Found this bug in the kitchen one day, around Thanksgiving. Can’t find in my entomology books. Appears similar to an Assassin Bug. Red on upper wing, under wing pale green, red and green body, green and brown legs, antennae 3 segment, eyes dark red, head green, proboscis like a weevil, but long green with dark tip. Length from end of body to front of head approx. 14mm. Proboscis about 5mm. Can’t see in picture as it curves under head. Enclosed photo and sketch of details for clarification.
Bill Heald
Sanger, California
Assassin Bug
Hi Bill,
We are relatively certain that this is a species of Assassin Bug, but we are not certain which species. We are posting your photo and drawing and hope a reader can provide a correct identification.
Assassin Bug
Update December 24, 2008
Hi, Daniel:
The assassin bug image, and the accompanying drawing (quite good, I might add!) is of a species of Zelus. I’m having a hard time getting that particular kind down to species. There are at least three in California, with lots of variability in at least one of those!
Take care, best to Lisa, too.
Eric
¶
Posted 22 December 2008
§
‡
°
Orange/Black Beetle/Hornet ? NSW
Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 3:57 PM
My husband found this bug under his sleeve driving it’s spike into his arm yesterday. It got 4 stings in before it wore a size 9 dunlop volley.
Apparently it packed quite a punch, his arm still red/swollen/itchy 24hrs later. Just curious what bug this is? Doesn’t appear to have wings! Looks like a cross between a hornet & a beetle type bug.
Newcastle NSW Australia
Shell
Newcastle NSW Australia
Ground Assassin Bug
Hi Shell,
A little bit of research revealed that this is a female Ground Assassin Bug, Ectomocoris decoratus, which we located on the Geocities Website of Brisbane Insects. Males of the species are winged and fly while the females are winged. Interestingly, we found some of the same photos and illustrations on a Brisbane Insects website with a different URL, but the species was listed as Ectomocoris patricius. We also found a PDF online that states: “Several other assassin bugs bite people in Queensland. … Ectomocoris decoratus, a fast-moving species with winged males and wingless females, is strikingly coloured in blue-black and orange. It occurs under loose bark and may be encountered when gardening or clearing vegetation. Because of its colour and speed, victims of this assassin bug often believe they were stung by a wasp.” We are not exactly sure what a size 9 dunlop volley is, but it sound like it contributed to the squashing evident in your photos. Assassin Bugs, except for a few blood sucking species, are thought of as beneficial predators, so we feel compelled to also tag your posting under Unnecessary Carnage.
Ground Assassin Bug
South FL: Wasp-ish w/ proboscis, Black, Red, White Spots
Sun, Dec 7, 2008 at 10:17 PM
I just came across your website the other day and low and behold I head out to garden this afternoon and see this little guy in my backyard! I’ve lived in West Broward (South Florida) all my life and never seen one like this…
It was lying on my pool deck and seems to be on his (or hers) last limbs. 
I placed the little guy on a plant after I took these pics.
It has two pairs of wings (which is reminiscent of a wasp, but it also has a proboscis, and very, very long antennae and legs.
What is this South Florida creature? Is it even from here?
Sunny South Florida
South Florida, West Broward County
Milkweed Assassin Bug
Hi Sunny,
You have found an Assassin Bug and we believe it is a Milkweed Assassin Bug, Zelus longipes. Assassin Bugs are predators, and though most species do not bite humans unprovoked, if they are carelessly handled, they can deliver a painful bite. The Milkweed Assassin Bug is a local species for your location.
¶
Posted 08 December 2008
§
‡
°
rss
