Assassin bug

Assassin bugs are the Reduviidae. They are a large cosmopolitan family of "true bugs" or Hemiptera.

Assassin bug
Temporal range: Cenomanian–Recent
Assassin bug (Rhynocoris iracundus) with bee prey
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Infraorder: Cimicomorpha
Family: Reduviidae
Latreille, 1807
Subfamilies

Bactrodinae
Centrocnemidinae
Cetherinae
Chryxinae
Ectrichodiinae
Elasmodeminae
Emesinae
Microtominae (=Hammacerinae)
Harpactorinae
Holoptilinae
Manangocorinae
Peiratinae
Phimophorinae
Phymatinae
Physoderinae
Pseudocetherinae
Reduviinae
Saicinae
Salyavatinae
Sphaeridopinae
Stenopodainae
Triatominae
Tribelocephalinae
Vesciinae
Visayanocorinae

They are almost all terrestrial ambush predators.[1] Most members of the family are easy to recognise: they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build and formidable curved proboscis. Large specimens should be handled with care, if at all, because they may defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.

References
  1. There are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae.
Rhynocoris - Predacious flower assassin bug from South Africa. May bite when carelessly handled; painful after-effects often last for months.[1]
Assassin bug camouflaged with debris, Australia.
  1. Weaving, Alan; Picker, Mike; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.