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Photo#93032
Little Bug - Zelus longipes

Little Bug - Zelus longipes
Sunrise, Broward County, Florida, USA
January 17, 2007
This little guy was in the everglades, at a park I work at. He was surrounded by lots of other bug friends just like him. Thanks for your help!

Note from Mike Thomas --
Our hemipterist tells me that these are now considered merely a color form of Z. longipes.

----
M.C. Thomas, Ph.D.

Moved
No other choice for this one.

Moved
Moved from True Bugs.

Looks like a close relative of
Zelus longipes, but the color pattern is enough different for us to guess that this is a different species. See images in the guide at .
-- Seems Lynette had the same idea! :)
Maybe Eric will know. He was working on separating the images here at bugguide by species.

 
Never
mind.

Assassin Bug
It very closely resembles the Milkweek Assassin Bug seen here. However, your specimen has slightly different markings including white bands on the legs and slightly different black markings on the back.

 
I agree.
I would expect that Zelus longipes would be rather variable from individual to individual. Nicole has lots of wonderful images on her Flickr site, too:-) Thanks for sharing with us, too.

 
mimicry
there's a whole host of bugs with this generalized black-on-red pattern, many of which feed on milkweed. A quick browse through the guide didn't turn your specimen up, however.

 
hhhmmm...
so still no definite answer? i think it's exciting that it is a little difficult to identify.

If it helps, the bugs seem to be on the same flowers that butterflies are attracted to. This is a picture of another of the same bug that was nearby.

little bug too

notice, the markings on the back are different. I don't know if that has to do with gender or if all the bugs are different.

 
Not at all the same bug
Notice how different the head is. This one is closer to Milkweed Bug - Oncopeltus sexmaculatus. See . You should post this image to ID Request also and see what info you get. Not many people will find it buried in the comments here.

 
ooooohhhhhh yes.
that is definitely a milkweed bug. would you say the other is the same (the first)? i wonder why the other looks different. :o)

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