Numbers
158 species in 47 genera in North America listed at
nearctica.comIdentification
May be brown, black or brightly colored. Short three-segmented beaks used for stabbing prey. Head typically constricted behind the eyes, giving a neck-like appearance. Antennae long, thin, not clubbed. Forelegs sometimes swollen or expanded for catching prey.
Food
Predatory on other insects.
Life Cycle
Incomplete metamorphosis: eggs hatch into tiny nymphs which molt several times as they grow to adulthood.
Remarks
Many species can inflict a painful bite on humans if handled, so it's wise to avoid touching them. If one lands or is seen on your body, brush it or flick it off with a sideways motion. Do not slap or swat it because it will almost certainly bite if you try to crush it.
Family REDUVIIDAE
Tribe Apiomerini (sometimes treated as Subfamily Apiomerinae)
Genera Acholla,
Arilus,
Atrachelus,
Castolus,
Doldina,
Fitchia,
Pselliopus,
Repipta,
Rhynocoris,
Rocconota,
Sinea,
Zelus
Subfamily Peiratinae (the "pirates", or "corsairs")
Subfamily Phymatinae - Ambush Bugs (formerly Family Phymatidae)
This overview is based on the classification synopsis prepared
ad hoc by Daniel Ryan Swanson, a.k.a.
drswannySee Also
Ambush Bugs (Phymatidae) are small stout bugs with short clubbed antennae and usually swollen forelegs, modified for capturing prey.
Print References
Davis, N. T. 1969. Contributions to the morphology and phylogeny of the Reduvioidea. Part IV. The Harpactoroid Complex. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 62(1): 74-94.
Froeschner, R. C. 1988. Family Reduviidae Latreille, 1807, The Assassin Bugs. In Henry, T. J. & R. C. Froeschner. Catalogue of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs, of Canada and the Continental United States. E. J. Brill, Leiden. 616-651.
Giacchi, J. C. 1969. Revision del genero Stenopoda Laporte, 1833 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Stenopodainae). Physis, Secc. C, 29: 1-26.
Maldonado Capriles, J. 1990. Systematic Catalogue of the Reduviidae of the World. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. 694 pages.
Schumacher, F. 1924. Zwei ubersehene Hemipteren-Gattungen. Deutsches Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1924: 335-337.
Shuh, R. T. & J. A. Slater. 1995. True Bugs of the World (Hemiptera: Heteroptera): Classification and Natural History. Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 336 pages.
Weirauch, C. 2008. Cladistic analysis of Reduviidae (Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha) based on morphological characters. Systematic Entomology, 33: 229-274.
Willemse, L. 1985. A taxonomic revision of the New World species of Sirthenea (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae). Zoologische Verhandlingen, 215: 1-67.
Wygodzinsky, P. 1966. A monograph of the Emesinae (Reduviidae, Hemiptera). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 133: 1-614.
