We returned to our Mt Washington Los Angeles offices this evening after going to see the wonderful new David Chronenberg film Eastern Promises, and we found this unusual Hemipteran under the light at the front door. It is not quite an inch long and is covered in dust much like the Masked Hunter. It is winged and has very short raptorial front legs. It flies if disturbed. We managed to get several images from several angles, but fine details are difficult to make out since the insect is covered in fibers. We can’t quite figure out if this is an Assassin Bug or one of the Damsel Bugs in the family Nabidae. Perhaps Eric Eaton can help solve this mystery.
Update (09/17/2007)
Dainel: Your assassin bug is one of the threadlegged assassins in the genus Stenolemus. I think they are specialized predators on spiders. Did not know they occured there, but will start looking for them now here in Arizona! There are some great images of cleaner Stenolemus on Bugguide.net.
Eric
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Posted 16 September 2007
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Exhibitionist Wheel Bugs
Hi!!
Your site taught me so much this evening! I found these bugs on my sunroom screen in central Indiana. I had never seen either a male or female before, so imagine my surprise to catch both in the act. Please excuse my camera’s blur. They have been in the same spot for at least four hours (the exhaustion!! J). Are wheel bug nymphs very tiny (2 or 3 mm)? I saw a pic of one on your site as well. I may have been enthralled with one a few months ago. I must have watched it clean (?) its little antennae for 20 minutes on my fiancé’s lease property in southern Indiana last spring. Thank you for the great information. By the way, I read about both of you. How in the world did two photography instructors working on an art project (too cool) find time to become bug experts??? Blessings,
Carly
Hi Carly,
We have posted several photos of Wheel Bugs the past few days, but we can’t resist also posting your documentation of the procreative act. To be honest, we don’t really consider ourselves experts just yet, but we have gotten very good at research.
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Posted 15 September 2007
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Tagged: bug love
What the heck is this! Inbox
Fly into my yard,about 2 inches long.
Julie.
Northern Louisiana.
Hi Julie,
This predatory Assassin Bug is known as the Wheel Bug.
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Posted 14 September 2007
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Hi,
My son alleges the bug in this picture bit his thumb. When capturing it, I accidentally killed it. Can you tell me what kind of bug it is? Thanks.
Nathan
Hi Nathan,
This is a Orange Spotted Assassin Bug, Rasahus thoracicus, also known as a Western Corsair. Their bite is reportedly quite painful.
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Posted 07 September 2007
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patriotic beetle?
Was hoping the picture would turn out better – first try with new digital camera. This specimen was gracing our front door for several hours a few nights ago … ( northwest Arkansas, mid August) If you know him I’d like a name. TIA,
Mitch
Hi Mitch,
This is not a beetle. It is an Assassin Bug. Even though the photo is quite blurry, it is undoubtedly Microtomus purcis.
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Posted 25 August 2007
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photograph of assassin bugs mating; showing male’s sexual organ (?)
Hi.
I am new to your really fun and interesting-while-informative site. I enjoy photography and was outside three days ago taking pictures of the sunflowers in my front yard here in Phoenix, Arizona. There were two bugs mating (assassin bugs per a 6/16/2006 post on your site that I just noticed last night). It seems as though you can actually see the male’s sexual organ, as the pair were in an almost belly-to-belly position, with one of them actually hanging off the flower (would this be the male?) while the other bug is perched on top. I appreciate the time and effort you spend on your site. I know I have a greater respect and enjoyment of bugs because of it. Thank you.
Jo Ann
P.S. I was just wondering if you would be interested in seeing the picture. I didn’t want to just send in a picture that may be too graphic for your site, so I am first writing to ask if it is okay.
Hi Jo Ann,
My, what an impressive image of mating Yellow Bellied Bee Assassins, Apiomerus flaviventris. All of the submissions on BugGuide are also from Arizona. We believe the lower insect in your photo is the male. For the record, we are of the opinion that acts of nature are not too graphic for our website. We do not care, however, to exactly define what an act of nature is. We are also mindful of the parameters of our website’s content, and despite the iguana and lizard page, we confine ourselves to invertebrates, with the exception of collateral inclusion of various quadripeds and bipeds, birds and fish that are seen in relationship to our typical subject matter. Thanks again for an awesome addition to our site, and a new species as well.
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Posted 06 August 2007
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Tagged: bug love
here’s my bug
Any clue as to what this interesting little bug is? It has such an interesting pattern on its back and the "belt" around its middle!!! Thank you.
Nikki Humphrey
Hi Nikki
This is a Bee Assassin, Apiomerus spissipes. According to BugGuide: “It pounces on Honey Bees and other pollinating insects. It holds the captive in its powerful legs, thrusts its cutting beak into the victim’s back, injects an immobilizing digestive agent, then sucks out the body juices.”
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Posted 18 July 2007
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My Assassin Bug is growing up
Thanks for identifying my assassin bug for me a week ago. Because of the identification, I decided to keep it and see what would happen. I’ve been feeding it mealworms I bought at a local pet store, and this morning I was surprised to see it had shed its skin and had a completely new “color scheme”, plus it got bigger. My camera decided to work (although my bug doesn’t like the camera’s flash too much), so I took some more pics. In the pictures I sent you can see 4 pictures of its new form, and in the lower left hand side is a mealworm, which is still alive. The last picture is of its discarded shedded skin on the right, and on the left is a mealworm which had the life sucked out of it! It was really quite amazing to see; the assassin bug climbed on top of it, inserted its probiscis, and after the worm struggled it was all over. In about 3 hours it was completely drained. I’ll keep you posted! Thanks again!
Rudy
Hi Rudy,
Now that your Assassin Bug has matured, it looks to us like a Leaf Hopper Assassin, Zelus renardii, a species found in California.
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Posted 14 July 2007
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found this bug.
Dear bug man,
I found this bug on a lamp shade in my living room. I moved it over to a table and got these great pictures of it before i put it in a bag and let it go, outside. I would like to know what kind of bug it is. Is it a type of beetle? A type of boxelder bug? please help!! Sincerely,
bug lover in Missouri
Dear Bug Lover,
This is an Eastern Blood Sucking ConeNose Bug, Triatoma sanguisuga. Their normal food consists of the blood of small mammals, like wood rats, but they will bite humans. As in your case, they will invade homes. According to BugGuide: “Bite causes severe allergic reaction in many humans. Bite and defecation into bite can transmit Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi , a protozoan. The most notorious vector is T. infestans, found in South America. The North American species are not normally thought to transmit the disease, though they can carry the parasite. (The North American species do not normally defecate at the site of the bite, which is what actually transmits the parasite.” Chagas Disease is a serious problem in the tropics. Though the liklihood of catching the disease from a North American species appears unlikely, you should nonetheless use extreme caution when handling one of the ConeNose Bugs.
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Posted 14 July 2007
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Could you please identify this bug for me. A friend of mine was bitten or stung by it and it caused his finger to blister and swell. I would also appreciate any info you could provide also. We live in north central Tennessee. Thank you,
Sue
Hi Sue,
This is the first photo of an adult Wheel Bug we have received this year, though each summer we get numerous excellent submissions. Those can be located on our Assassin Bug pages. We have received immature nymph photos this year, including one report, that we were too busy to post, that lists the Wheel Bug as predatory on Japanese Beetles. Like all Assassin Bugs, Wheel Bugs can deliver a painful bite if mishandled. The Wheel Bug is an important beneficial predatory species.
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Posted 10 July 2007
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assassin but
Hi.
I live in Cleveland Georgia. My apple tree is being eaten by Japanese Beetles. I read quite a bit about them on the web and mostly learned there are no nature enemies of them. BUT a couple of days ago when I was picking them off my tree, I ran across this threesome. Only 2 of the bugs are clear – the dead/dying J/B and the bug on the bug eating the J/B. I’ve been told it is an assassin bug and after searching the web, I’m figuring it is the blood sucking conenose. Is it? Since this pic, I have found another one in a flowering bush that also is infested with J/B’s. They have not acted aggressive, even when I have almost touched them. Because they like the beetles, I don’t want to run them off!!! Thanks,
Beth
Hi Beth,
We are guessing that you meant Assassin Bug and not “Assassin But” in your subject line. This is not a Blood Sucking Conenose. It is a Bee Assassin, Apiomerus crassipes and BugGuide has a detailed photo for comparison. We doubt that there are enough predators out there to significantly curb the Japanese Beetle emergence each year, but it is nice to see the Assassin Bugs are trying.
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Posted 02 July 2007
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Wheel Bug Nymph
I bought my girlfriend a Nikon D40x for her birthday, and we decided to try it out on Wednesday. We went for a nature walk in a wetlands park in southwestern ohio, and came upon this little bug sitting on a wooden post. I would have gotten a shot with it so for size, but crawly things give me the willies! I searched and searched for what it could be, and came upon your website. I believe it’s a Wheel bug Nymph, but I could be wrong! Thanks,
Drew
Hi Drew,
Yes, your are correct. This is a Wheel Bug Nymph. We hope your lucky girlfriend gets to take many more wonderful photos with her fabulous birthday gift.
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Posted 21 June 2007
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