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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Cimicomorpha » Assassin Bugs (Reduviidae) » Reduviinae » Reduvius

Genus Reduvius

Classification · Pronunciation · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · See Also · Print References · Works Cited
What is this? - Reduvius personatus unknown - Reduvius personatus It Bit Me Twice. Is It Dangerous? - Reduvius personatus Masked Hunter Nymph - Reduvius personatus Masked Hunter - Reduvius personatus Reduviid found inside row house - Reduvius personatus Masked Hunter - Reduvius personatus Reduvius personatus? - Reduvius personatus
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 Reduviinae
Genus Reduvius
Pronunciation
reh-DOO-vee-us
Explanation of Names
Reduvius Fabricius 1775
From the Latin reduvia 'a small ulcer that comes from the root of a nail' (Amyot & Serville 1843)
Numbers
5 spp. in our area, almost 200 worldwide(1)
Size
8-22 mm; only the introduced R. personatus is over 15 mm(2)
Identification
Within the Reduviinae of the region, Reduvius species -- like Pseudozelurus -- have the anterior disc of the pronotum unarmed. They are separated from Pseudozelurus by the shape of the membrane cells and basal margin of the pronotum: specifically, in Reduvius the outer cell of the membrane is wider than the inner cell, and the base of the posterior pronotal lobe is not reflexed; the opposite condition is true in Pseudozelurus.
Additionally, 3 of the 4 species of Reduvius in our region are testaceous (i.e. dull reddish-brown) and smaller than 15 mm (the senilis group). The widespread and extremely common Reduvius personatus is black and similar in size to Pseudozelurus but lacks its reddish coloring.
Range
R. personatus (adventive): AZ-FL-ME-WA / adj. CAN. (3), extremely rare in CA(2), native spp. occur in sw. US only (so. CA to w. TX, rarely UT)(1)(3) so dust-covered nymphs (<15 mm long) in this region may or may not be R. personatus
Habitat
The native senilis group species are restricted to semi-arid regions and have been reported from lodges of wood rats (Neotoma sp.) (Ryckman 1954)
Reduvius personatus is found around buildings and in wooded areas, and is attracted to lights.
Food
Adults and nymphs of R. personatus prey on a variety of small arthropods such as woodlice, lacewings, earwigs, bed bugs (Cimex spp.), and Swallow Bugs (Oeciacus vicarius). The senilis group species are probably generalist predators as well.
See Also
Melanolestes species have thicker fore and middle tibiae
Print References
Amyot C.J.B., Audinet-Serville J.G. (1843) Histoire naturelle des insects hemipteres. Libraire Encyclopédique de Roret. Paris: Fain et Thunot. pp. 314-398.
Ryckman R.E. (1954) Reduvius senilus Van Duzee from the lodges of Neotoma in San Juan County, Utah (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Bull. Southern California Acad. Sci. 53(2): 88.
Wood S.F. (1954) Experimental destruction of the conenose bug, Triatoma, by the assassin bugs, Reduvius personatus and R. senilus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae). Bull. Southern California Acad. Sci. 53(3): 174-176.
Works Cited
1.Reduvius frommeri, a new species of Reduviidae from the Western Nearctic (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)...
Weirauch C., Russell K., Hwang W.S. 2015. Zootaxa 3972: 267-279.
2.The genus Reduvius Fabricius in western North America (Reduviidae, Hemiptera, Insecta)
Wygodzinsky P., Usinger R.L. 1964. American Museum Novitates 2175: 1-15.
3.Catalog of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs of Canada and the Continental United States
Thomas J. Henry, Richard C. Froeschner. 1988. Brill Academic Publishers.
Contributed by Cotinis on 14 February, 2005 - 8:23pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Mike Quinn, drswanny, v belov
Last updated 13 September, 2015 - 8:54pm

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