Bug found in Houston, Tx
My name is Codie I am 8 years old. I was playing outside, then I went to a pecan tree stump and I found this bug, (photo included). It has a orange thorax with black and white dots. It looked like it had very small black wings. Its face looked like it had a hook part that went all the way to it’s neck and it looked like it connected to the neck. The antenna were very big. They were bigger than the 6 legs. It had 3 body parts like an ant. It is an insect and the thorax was very big when I found it. Then a few days later we found out why the thorax was so big. It was because it had a baby. At first even when I caught it we didn’t know the bug and we didn’t know the name of the bug. When the baby was born it was white and looked like a cacoon and creeped around like a catapiller. When I put it in a smaller vile it started to turn red and it got hard and I think it died. Also, the thorax deflated on the mommy and had a hole in it where the baby came out. We still don’t know what it is. Do you know what this is? Thank you,
Codiemichael and Mommy Kerr
Hi Codie,
The photo you sent is of an immature Assassin Bug. These insects, like most insects, lay eggs and do not give birth. It is immature, and cannot reproduce until it becomes a winged adult. The action you describe sounds more like an internal parasite, but we do not know of another insect that parasitizes Assassin Bugs. It could be some type of fly or wasp that is responsible for the parasitization. You never said if the insect in the photograph died, though we suspect it did.
Love the site! But a request….
Your site and the service you kindly provide for free is wonderful. I have to check the site everyday. Just one request though….please don’t post anymore emails where a parent writes in as their child, complete with “baby” language and descriptions. It’s ignorant and annoying. It is one thing to relate a story involving the child (which can be cute) but quite another to take on the persona of the child. I admire your dedication to posting and the research and time put into the answers. Keep up the great work! You’re inspiring a wave of, well, if not bug love, at least bug appreciation.
-Shannon
Hi Shannon,
What’s That Bug? has always been child friendly and we do not really edit letters. We thought there were enough grammatical errors and misspellings to indicate that this was written by an 8 year old.
Thank you so much! Codie spends a lot of time on your site and has a huge interest in everything you have on there. After much searching and absolutely no luck, my son thought you might have the answer. He was so thrilled to see that his very first e-mail was published on your website too! (yes, he is the one who sent it, I just proof read it to make sure he included everything). Thanks for all your help.
Update: (01/20/2007) assassin bug parasite
I think your analysis is right on. Probably a tachinid fly, but in any event, the host-parasite relationship might very well be undocumented. If the kid can get the larva to pupate (maybe in a container with a shallow layer of soil), he might be able to get an adult he can take to an expert for an identification. Keep me posted.
Eric
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