13mm, green, armored tank/assassin bug-like body, with mantid forelimbs and a turtle head.
August 26, 2009
Hello again Bugman!,
Love your site.
I was looking over a stand of ragweed today, admiring all the activity, when I noticed there was a dead fly on one flowerheads, so I began looking deeper, in between the flowers, for a crab spider or something like that…and found this instead. It was scrunched down between flowertops as if lying in ambush. When I spread the flowers apart, it came walking out and stepped right up onto my finger. Didn’t seem to mind me photoing it numerous times, and even let me move it to the B-B-Q grill for better contrast. It only flied away when I tried to move it back to the ragweed. It’s about the same length as my fingernail (included for scale). I’ve never seen one of these before, but it does bear strong resemblance to the assassin bugs, except for it’s head, which is entirely different, looking more like a sea turtle from a Pixar movie. It has forelimbs like a mantid, or possibly a tiny cicada. It was also pretty hard to the touch like a stinkbug, and kind of weighty for it’s t iny size.
Mostly translucent green with a dark band across it’s abdomen, and a hard bony shell of a thorax which has a couple of knobs that protrude forward and up much higher than it’s head.
In a word, handsome.
Thanks much, Jeff Volpert
Topeka, Kansas, USA
Ambush Bug
Hi Jeff,
It would seem that Ambush Bug is an apt common name for your insect based on your letter. Recently Ambush Bugs have been downgraded from a family to becoming a subfamily status of the Assassin Bugs, Phymatinae. Your specimen is one of the Jagged Ambush Bugs in the genus Phymata.
¶ Posted 27 August 2009 § ‡ ° unknown bug in garden
July 29, 2009
I found this bug clinging to a carrot plant in my garden this afternoon, and I am totally stumped. I’m guessing that it’s molting (but the more I look, the less sure I am), but, even trying to imagine it without the baggage on its back, I have no clue what it is. And really I’m just stoked to finally have a reason to write in!
Ernie
Cripple Creek, VA
Ambush Bug
Hi Ernie,
This is a Jagged Ambush Bug in the genus Phymata. Not long ago, Ambush Bugs had their own family, but recently they have been demoted to a subfamily of the Assassin Bugs, Reduviidae. These small predators are well camouflaged on plants and flowers where they wait for their prey.
¶ Posted 30 July 2009 § ‡ ° unknown insect spotted in the flower bed
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 4:47 PM
I snapped this photo of a strange insect in my flower bed. I have no idea what it is. This was the one and only time I’ve seen it. The paddle like front legs are interesting. You may have to zoom in a bit on the photo.
Mr. Rob
Eastern NC nearFayetteville
Ambush Bug
Dear Mr. Rob,
You have photographed a Jagged Ambush Bug in the genus Phymata. Ambush Bugs were originally in their own family, but they have recently been reclassified as Assassin Bugs in the family Reduviidae, and the Ambush Bugs subfamily Phymatinae. Ambush Bugs often wait on flowers in order to ambush and eat pollinating insects.
¶ Posted 01 July 2009 § ‡ ° sharing a conjugal assassination
Wed, May 6, 2009 at 12:27 AM
Hi WTB?!!
First let me say that I love your site! I use it all the time to find out what kind of critters I come across in my random days. AWESOME! While this is not a request for identification, I thought I’d share a nifty story about my first encounter with an 8-Spotted Forrester Moth. This was the only way to share the photos.
In March of 08 it was really windy as per usual, but I was bound and determined to take pictures of bugs. I was very excited to find a very colorful “butterfly” on one of the trees lining my driveway. Those trees are great as they have LOTS of flowers in the springtime and attract many bees and fluttery things for me to enjoy and photo. Well this little beauty seemed to be stuck somehow and didn’t/couldn’t fly away like they normally do when I get so close. Being one to take advantage of a situation I snipped the tip of the branch and brought it inside so I could get a better, calmer view.
Ambush Bugs eat Eight Spotted Forrester
Imagine my surprise when I followed the tongue of my “butterfly” down through the flowers into the mighty grip of a little female assassin! WOW! It was VERRRY windy that day so she must have been holding on insanely tight! Being as the (later identified) moth was already caught and most of the damage done I decided to let the macabre show play out and see what kinds of pictures I could get. Well they’re not quite the quality I was hoping for, but they’re clear enough to tell a story and get a point across. In the first diptych you can see her hanging on to the tongue (left) while he takes the lion’s share (right). In the second image was the “adults only” portion of the show where she was allowed to get hers while he *ahem* “got his”. The excitement of that capture was apparently great enough that he just couldn’t wait. And because they are so difficult to see amid the flowers the third image shows him strutting his stuff across the edge of a leaf as victor and stud.
Hope you enjoyed as much as I did. Creepy though it was, it was still way neat-o to see! the assassins were put back outside afterward to continue doing what they do. Unfortunately 1 moth was harmed in the process of making these photos, but that’s how nature rolls!
Mary in Magnolia, Texas
South-East Texas
Ambush Bugs eat Eight Spotted Forrester
Dear Mary,
Thanks so much for your graphic photos and riveting first hand, eye witness account of this mating and food chain marvel. We only have one slight correction. The amorous hungry couple are Assassin Bugs, but they are in the Ambush Bug subfamily Phymatinae . It was not until we searched BugGuide that we became aware of the taxonomic change as Phymatidae was once a distinct family. Thanks for providing this wonderful cross-tagged submission.
Ambush Bug
Bug Love Meets Where’s Waldo
Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 7:49 PM
My son Sam took this picture of what he thought was an assassin bug on a flower. Later when we looked back at it we noticed that it was actually two bugs mating. If you can zoom in it’s really a pretty amazing picture. We are wondering now if they are assassin bugs since they don’t seem much like the others on this site. In any case, it’s one for your Bug Love. Any ideas? Thanks, as always, for your great great site!
Sam and Daddy Jim
Suburban backyard, 35 miles west of Chicago
Mating Ambush Bugs
Hi Sam and Daddy Jim,
Though they are sometimes mistaken for Assassin Bugs, Ambush Bugs are in a different family, Phymatidae. Your pair are Jagged Ambush Bugs in the genus Phymata, and you can see more images on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 13 November 2008 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love ambush bug with flesh fly
Hello,
I’ve spent quite a bit of time on your site in recent months, trying to identify arthropods of all kinds. One I’ve found especially fascinating is the ambush bug–what a formidable hunter!! Several days ago, I was astonished to find one with a Silver-spotted Skipper, quite a large catch for such a small bug. Today, spotted one with a flesh fly. My goal was a good photo of the ambush bug, not the flesh fly; unfortunately, the near constant breezes of the last week are not conducive to ultra-sharp pictures. I almost deleted the picture, but then something caught my attention. The fly, in her death throes, had given birth. Just yesterday, in thumbing through my new Kaufman’s “Field Guide to Insects of N.A., read that some flies, including flesh flies, are viviparous. If you like, you may post the attached picture. Thanks for all you do. Between your site, BugGuide & my new Kaufman’s, I’m happily IDing most of my arthropod photographs. Sincerely,
Linda
Hi Linda,
Your photograph is quite wonderful, even though your primary objective is not as visible as you might hope. Try to remember that the excellent camouflage of the Ambush Bug is key to its success as a predator. We will be archiving your image on numerous pages, including flies, maggots, true bugs and food chain.
two buggy things
First off, I’m now totally hooked! Many of the killer bad bugs have been ID’d and we can breathe easier knowing they are not killer bugs after all. My kids and I have had the camera with us now whenever we go out because we never know when we’ll get a good shot. OK, the first one is of two tiny mantis looking bugs. They are maybe 1/2 inch long, can fly, and have those praying type of front legs. We were wondering if the mantis looking bugs were in fact tiny mantis critters (hope pic is clear enough).We live in SE CT.
Thanks so much,
Erika
Hi Erika,
Your mantis bugs are Ambush Bugs, Family Phymatidae, and they are mating. They wait on flowers to ambush nectar seeking insects.
¶ Posted 06 August 2005 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love Not a nice bug
This morning (8/3/04) I had an ugly encounter with this bug. It bit me on the back of the neck. I think it might be an assassin bug because it resembles the pictures of the other assassin bugs on your site. However, the colors on it are very bright yellows and neon greens on black. The first set of legs are thick and curved; the rest are thin and straight. It has the mouth parts of an assassin. Its bite felt like a BAD bee sting. I thought that I would share and see if you could confirm what it is. I have it displayed on the bulletin board for my fifth grade class and I would love to be able to tell them with certainty what it is.
Thank You,
Meredith Barthel
Hi Meredith,
You have an Ambush Bug, Family Phymatidae. These are True Bugs and closely related to Assasin Bugs, hence the similarity in appearance. According to Borror and Delong: “The Phymatids are small stout-bodied bugs with raptorial front legs. … Most of the Ambush Bugs are about 1/2 inch in length or less, yet they are able to capture insects as large as fair-sized bumble bees. they lie in wait for their prey on flowers, particularly goldenrod, where they are excellently concealed by their greenish yellow color. They feed principally on relatively large bees, wasps, and flies.” They do have venom, hence the pain in your bite. As you know, their bite is painful, but not dangerous. I believe your species is Phymata erosa.
¶ Posted 03 August 2004 § ‡ ° 
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