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

Subfamily Peiratinae - Corsairs

Corsair Assassin Bug - Rasahus??? - Rasahus biguttatus

Black Corsair? - Melanolestes picipes - male

Black Cosair Assassin - Melanolestes picipes - male

black corsair in Mississippi - Melanolestes picipes - male

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 Peiratinae (Corsairs)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Piratinae

Explanation of Names

Peiratinae Amyot & Serville 1843; type genus: Peirates (Old World)

Numbers

medium-sized subfamily with 350 spp. in 33 genera worldwide, 70 spp. in 10 genera in the New World(1); 7 spp. in 3 genera north of Mexico(2)

Size

10-25 mm

Identification

Most easily diagnosed by the transverse sulcus being set distinctly behind the middle of the pronotum.

Range

Worldwide; in the New World, restricted to the Nearctic and Neotropica(1); one species transcontinental, others mostly southern

Habitat

Often found on the ground under rocks or at the base of grasses. They are active hunters, preferring to chase and pounce on their prey. Some species are attracted to lights at night.

Food

Many are probably generalist feeders on various different arthropods but it is thought that some Melanolestes have a preference for melolonthine scarabs and Sirthenea prefer mole crickets.

Remarks

Members of this subfamily are known for their notoriously painful bites.

Adult females of several species may be brachypterous and can be mistaken for nymphs:

Works Cited

1.	Lentireduvius, a new genus of Peiratinae from Brazil, with a key to the New World genera (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Cai W., Taylor S.J. 2006. Zootaxa 1360: 51-60.

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

Contributed by v belov on 2 March, 2010 - 9:16pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, drswanny, dvoribird
Last updated 31 May, 2022 - 7:48pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: