Subject: Euthochtha galeator
Geographic location of the bug: Smyrna, DE
Date: 07/02/2018
Time: 01:38 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I recently identified some Euthochtha galeator nymphs on my peppermint plant. However, several people are saying they are Assassin Bugs or Kissing Bugs. In the info I have read there is no mention of either of these names. Are they the same bug?
How you want your letter signed: CPblueslover
Dear CPblueslover,
We verified the identity of your Helmeted Squash Bug Nymphs, Euthochtha galeator, thanks to this BugGuide image, and according to BugGuide: “Feeds on a variety of wild and cultivated plants.” Now that we have established an identity, we can dispel the misinformation you have been given. Your Helmeted Squash Bug nymphs are in the family Coreidae, the Leaf Footed Bugs. They are not in the Assassin Bug family Reduviidae, nor are they Kissing Bugs which are Assassin Bugs in the subfamily Triatominae.