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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae) » Picromerus » Picromerus bidens
Photo#9183
tenacious bug - Picromerus bidens
Copyright © 2003 Robin McLeod

tenacious bug - Picromerus bidens
near Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada
July 16, 2003
In the left image, a bug has impaled a skipper which is now trying to escape. The bug had to do some fast & fancy footwork, rotating itself around the grass stem as the skipper flew three complete 360s before running out of gas (right image). It's too bad this wasn't recorded as a movie because the bug's actions were very comical, reminding me of an Olympic athlete winding up to do the hammer-throw. ID guesses are European Skipper and maybe Podisus or Apateticus sp.
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Contributed by Robin McLeod on 17 December, 2004 - 10:21pm
Last updated 7 May, 2007 - 9:00am

Moved
Moved from Stink Bugs.
choice for Picromerus because of characteristic "tricoloured" tibiae (brown on knee, pale in middle, red apically).
… Boris Büche, 7 May, 2007 - 9:00am login or register to post comments

 
good stuff
I've added that ID tip to the species page
… Robin McLeod, 8 May, 2007 - 1:39am login or register to post comments

Several possibilities
Definitely Pentatomidae, but may not be Podisus (definitely not Apateticus). Could be Picromerus bidens, as shown here:
http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/image/20753101. I have seen Podisus subdue and carry around some astonishingly large moths. That'd be like one of us carrying a grand piano in our teeth:-)
… Eric R. Eaton, 20 December, 2004 - 12:36pm login or register to post comments

 
predaceous stink bug
Thanks for the pointer to Picromerus; I hadn't even heard of that genus. The image reminded me of another I have of stink bugs mating - with a twist. Will post soon.
… Robin McLeod, 20 December, 2004 - 6:06pm login or register to post comments

The only reason the bug won i
The only reason the bug won in this case is that he was using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Great pair of images!

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com
… Stephen Cresswell, 18 December, 2004 - 6:24am login or register to post comments

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