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Genus Phymata - Jagged Ambush Bugs

Ambush bug with different colored pincers - Phymata pennsylvanica - male

Pennsylvania ambush bug? - Phymata americana

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

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

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Infraorder Cimicomorpha

Family Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)

Subfamily Phymatinae (Ambush Bugs)

Genus Phymata (Jagged Ambush Bugs)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

erosa species-group revised in (1)

Explanation of Names

Phymata Latreille 1802

'swollen'

Numbers

21 spp. in our area, ~110 total(1)

Identification

Scutellum triangular and shorter than pronotum, protarsi small but distinct(2)(3)

obsolete key to spp. in (4) • key to two eastern spp. in (5) • key to 5 spp. present or likely to occur in AL in (6)

Range

widely dist. in NA; most diverse in w/sw US(1)

Habitat

typically on flowers in open/semi-open habitats

Food

small insects and other arthropods

Life Cycle

"Coupling may involve several males riding around on a single female. Sometimes it allows them to take down larger prey, although coupling individuals have been found each with their own prey as well. Mating occurs with the male mounted on the side of the female" (comment by drswanny).

Eggs · nymph · final molt · adults (coupling) · adults (mating)

Works Cited

1.	Taxonomic revision of the Nearctic erosa species group of Phymata Latreille, 1802 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) Masonick P., Weirauch C. 2020. Can. J. Arthropod Identification 41: 90 pp.

2.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

3.	How to Know the True Bugs Slater, James A., and Baranowski, Richard M. 1978. Wm. C. Brown Company.

4.	Revision of Phymatinae (Hemiptera, Phymatidae) Kormilev N. 1960. Philippine J. Sci. 89: 287-486.

5.	A review of the ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) of Michigan: identification and additional considerations... Swanson D.R. 2013. Great Lakes Entomol. 46: 154-164.

6.	The Reduviidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Alabama, with a morphological key to species Clem C.S., Swanson D.R., Ray C.H. 2019. Zootaxa 4688: 151–198.

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 14 July, 2004 - 7:36pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Mike Quinn, v belov, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 11 October, 2023 - 3:36pm

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