Original letter exchange from www.whatsthatbug.com

Thread Legged Bug
(10/27/2005) Mantid / looks like walking stick
Any Idea what this insect is? It looks almost like a Grass-Like Mantid but its head isn’t shaped right. I have more photos from some other angles if you need them.
Van Lavoy Jacobs 2
Frederick, MD

Hi Van,
First we appologize for the long delay. Our internet access went down the day you sent this in. It was down for over a week and when our signal returned, our mailbox was to capacity with 477 letters. We have been posting recent letters and getting to the oldest last. We are THRILLED with your image, a new species for us. This is a Thread Legged Bug, one of the Assasin Bugs in the subfamily Emesinae. According to BugGuide, images on the web are rare, so we are honored to post yours. We would also like to see your other images and perhaps add them to BugGuide's archive if you don't mind. We might even be able to get you a species name.

(11/11/2005)
I would be glad to send any of the other images I have as well as a video you can download of him walking on my arm. We live in Keymar MD which may help you in the identification. Let me know if you would like a link to more pictures and video.
Van

Ed. Note: Eric Eaton just provided us with the following information, and Van has provided additional photos.
(11/11/2005) "I would need to know the size of the critter to tell you even what genus it might be in.  If it is 30+ mm, then it has to be Emesaya brevipennis. If it is under that size, then it is probably a species of Empicoris or Barce.  I didn't check to see where the image was shot, as there could be more possibilities in the southern U.S. Eric