The Armored Assassin
Jagged Ambush Bug
The Armored Assassin
Location: Mid-Missouri
October 29, 2010 9:34 pm
While I love all bugs, I think one of my favorite has to be the Ambush Bug. It is just a armored shell of terror. He sits hidden inside or behind a flower bloom waiting for his prey to land for their last sip of nectar. He emits a type of authority and force like I rarely see in the insect world. Sure, all Assassin Bugs are made up of terror to other insects, but to me, none give that incredible look of strength in the same way as the Ambush Bug. For me, this is as good as it gets and I feel fortunate to have had about half a dozen sightings of them this year..many times with prey in hand.
Here are 3 of my favorite pictures from the past couple months of my favorite assassin bug….if not my favorite bug, period.
My ID: Jagged Ambush Bug – Phymata fasciata (I’m certain on Phymata, fairly certain on Phymata fasciata).
Signature: Nathanael Siders
Ambush Bug feeds on Skipper
Hi Nathanael,
Thanks again for submitting some wonderful images as well as your first hand observations. Ambush Bugs were originally classified in their own family, but recent years have seen a change in the taxonomy, and they are now a subfamily of the Assassin Bugs. We agree that this is a Jagged Ambush Bug in the genus Phymata, though we do not feel qualified enough to determine the exact species as the members of the genus are all quite similar. Can you recall the identity of the prey in your one photo? It appears to be a Skipper butterfly.
Jagged Ambush Bug
You are correct, it was a skipper that became his meal. I have also seen them eating syrphids a good bit around my house.
Wheel bug casualty of midwestern storm- detailed pic
Location: Southwestern Ohio
October 27, 2010 7:10 pm
I found this wheel bug (?) quite dead in some leaf debris on my parents’ deck. From what I’ve heard, this was a smallish one. I thought this photo showed the distinctive wheel and the proboscis pretty well.
Signature: Kitsa
Wheel Bug
Hi Kitsa,
Thank you for sending this photo of a Wheel Bug that did not survive the storm. We have already decided that we are receiving so many Wheel Bug identification requests this month that we are making it the Bug of the Month for November even though it held the exact same honor in November of 2008.
¶ Posted 28 October 2010 § ‡ ° Close Encounter of the bug kind!
Location: Carroll County, Maryland
October 25, 2010 7:38 pm
Hi there, I had a close encounter with this bug today (He decided to hitch a ride on my jacket!) I screamed at it, I flinged it off my jacket, but I did not resort to creating carnage despite passerby suggestions… any idea what it is? It has to be one of the largest bugs I’ve ever seen – I’d estimate about two inches long or so.
(Sorry about the picture quality, best I could manage with my phone.)
Signature: Angela in Maryland
Wheel Bug
Hi Angela,
We have gotten numerous images of Wheel Bugs in the past week, but we have not posted any of them after supplying a brief answer regarding the bug’s identity. Since there have been so many sightings recently, we have decided to post your letter (with its subject line that caught our attention) and your photo even though your photo does not adequately illustrate the coglike crest on the thorax that gives North America’s largest Assassin Bug its common name.
¶ Posted 26 October 2010 § ‡ ° Wierd Bug
Location: Ft Collins, CO
October 16, 2010 8:56 pm
This bug was located in Ft. Collins CO, living on a Marigold flower.
Signature: Ft Collins
Ambush Bug
Dear Ft Collins,
This is an Ambush Bug, a stealth predator that often sits on blossoms waiting to prey upon pollinating insects. Ambush Bugs were originally classified as a distinct family, but the group has recently undergone a revision of taxonomy and they are considered to be a subfamily of the Assassin Bugs.
Wheel Bug Photos
Location: Decatur, IL
October 16, 2010 7:53 pm
Hello! First, thanks for this site- it’s helped me name a lot of bugs I’ve come across.
Tonight I happily discovered a wheel bug outside my dorm, munching on a cricket. It’s the first one I’ve seen in years, so I didn’t hesitate to take photos. I thought you might be interested in them.
And no worries- I’ve already put this beautiful wheel bug right back where I found it, cricket and all.
Signature: Sheri
Wheel Bug eats Cricket
Hi Sheri,
Thank you for supplying us with a food chain image of a Wheel Bug feeding upon a Cricket. Though Wheel Bugs are formidable predators, our archive is noticeably lacking of images of them feeding.
Ancient looking bug
Location: Branson, MO
October 13, 2010 7:23 pm
Hi Daniel,
My folks took this picture of a very cool bug while vacationing in Branson MO. I tried to find it on your site but was not able to.
I am not sure of the size of it either, unfortunately.
The picture was taken in September of this year.
Signature: Mike Healy
Ed. Note: 29 Minutes Later
Hey Daniel,
I just logged on and took a quick look at the top ten and low and behold, there was the bug that I could not find when I was looking for it. I was looking the wrong family entirely. I was thinking that it was some sort of weevil. Clearly a Wheel Bug is not a weevil.
Have a great holiday season with your family.
Mike Healy
Wheel Bug
Hi Mike,
We are so happy you were able to find your Wheel Bug identified in our archives. We wish more people would check out our Top 10.
¶ Posted 13 October 2010 § ‡ ° So much help!!
Location: Central Ohio
October 13, 2010 6:42 am
Hey guys! I’ve been a fan of your website for some time now, I even look at it on a fairly regular basis with my two-year-old. He loves seeing and learning the names of new bugs. 
I just had to say that, had it not been because I look at your site so often, I wouldn’t have been able to teach my nephew about a bug my mom found for him. My brother-in-law was convinced it was a rhino beetle (in Ohio?!?), but as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what it was.
My mom had found a wheel bug crawling up her pants leg! My nephew was curious about it and wanted to take it in to school, but since no one knew what it was, they wanted to find info on it first. I pulled up your website and sent a link to my brother-in-law, so he could find more info in he wanted and let my nephew take it to school with him.
The only picture I got of the little guy was on my cell phone, so I apologize for the bad quality.
So, I wanted to say, thank you all for the effort you put in to keeping the website up, and keeping everyone informed about bugs of the world.
Signature: Thankful Fan
Wheel Bug
Dear Thankful Fan,
We are relieved that you had already identified your Wheel Bug as it might have been a difficult identification for us since the image is so blurry. Your letter really cheered us up this morning, and we are happy to tag it as fanmail.
¶ Posted 13 October 2010 § ‡ ° Tagged: fanmail Interesting bug!
Location: Central Indiana
October 10, 2010 11:00 pm
This bug showed up at my son’s birthday party and was quite the hit! The kids thought it looked like a bug that belonged with dinosaurs!! lol Body length was approx 2”. Found in central Indiana; an especially warm day in early Oct (and we have had record breaking DRY weather here for months). Thank you very much!!
Signature: Ruth
Wheel Bug
Dear Ruth,
Interesting, the words prehistoric and dinosaur, and more specifically Stegosaurus are often used to describe the Wheel Bug, the largest Assassin Bug in North America.
¶ Posted 11 October 2010 § ‡ ° 
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