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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Assassin Bugs (Reduviidae) » Thread-legged Bugs (Emesinae)

Subfamily Emesinae - Thread-legged Bugs

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Habitat · Food · See Also · Works Cited

Empicoris sp. - Empicoris rubromaculatus

Stenolemus Assassin Bug - Stenolemus lanipes

Thread-legged Bug - Barce fraterna - female

Stenolemus nymph feeding on house spider egg sac - Stenolemus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Family Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)

Subfamily Emesinae (Thread-legged Bugs)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

sometimes treated as a separate family (Ploiariidae)(1)

Explanation of Names

Greek Hemesa ('Εμεσα), the ancient name for the Syrian city of Hems (also spelled Hims)(2)

Numbers

Over 60 spp. in 14 genera north of Mexico(3)(4)

Tribe Emesini:

Emesa (1)

Gardena (2)

Stenolemoides (1)

Stenolemus (4)

Tribe Leistarchini:

Ploiaria (14)

Tribe Metapterini:

Barce (6)

Metapterus (6)

Pseudometapterus (3)

Emesaya (5)

Ghilianella (1)

Pseudometyapterus (3)

Ischnonyctes (1)

Tribe Ploiariolini

Emesopsis (1)

Empicoris (14)

Size

3-40 mm, usually under 10mm(5)(6)

Identification

Unlike walking-sticks and some dipterans they mimic, the Emesinae walk on the rear four legs -- the front legs are modified for grasping prey(4)

McAtee & Malloch 1925 revision of our fauna(7) has retained its importance

Habitat

Barns, cellars and old buildings; beneath loose bark, in tufts of grass or brush piles; largely nocturnal, some live in spider webs(1)(8)(5)(6)

Food

other insects or spiders; some steal prey from spider webs(5)(8)(4).

Works Cited

1.	A Field Guide to Insects By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson

2.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

3.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico By Ross H. Arnett

4.	A monograph of the Emesinae (Reduviidae, Hemiptera) By Pedro W. Wygodzinsky

5.	Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects By Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn

6.	Biodiversity of the Heteroptera By T.J. Henry

7.	Revision of the American bugs of the reduviid subfamily Ploiariinae By W.L. McAtee & J.R. Malloch

8.	Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America By Eric Eaton, Kenn Kaufman

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Mike Boone, cotinis, Bradshaw, v belov
Last updated 12 April, 2012 - 6:56pm

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