Subject: Pink winged insect
Geographic location of the bug: Central texas
Date: 08/03/2019
Time: 10:43 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: My son found this bug outside of our home in central Texas.
How you want your letter signed: Tucker Lockhart
Dear Tucker,
This is definitely an Assassin Bug and we believe its coloration is due to recent metamorphosis and that it will soon darken. The potentially alarming news is that though your image lacks critical detail, we believe this is one of the Kissing Bugs in the genus Triatoma that are known to spread Chagas Disease in humans. See Texas A&M Agrilife Extension for images and information regarding Kissing Bugs.
Ok, here it is several hours later. Kissing bug??
This is definitely a Kissing Bug in the genus Triatoma. It looks to us like an Eastern Blood Sucking Conenose Bug, Triatoma sanguisuga, which is reported from Texas based on BugGuide information where it states: “Sometimes bites humans, and the bite may be severe, causing an allergic reaction.”