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) » Melanolestes

Genus Melanolestes

Black Corsair - Melanolestes picipes - male

Black Corsair - Melanolestes picipes - female

black assassin bug - Melanolestes picipes

Unknown assassin bug - Melanolestes picipes

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)

Genus Melanolestes

Explanation of Names

Melanolestes Stål 1866

'black thief'

Numbers

2 spp. in our area

Size

12-20 mm(1)

Range

M. picipes (=abdominalis) QC-FL to MN-SD-UT-CA to Brazil(1);

M. morio is noted from FL(2)

Works Cited

1.	Taxonomic status of Melanolestes picipes and M. abdominalis (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) McPherson J.E., Keffer S.L., Taylor S.J. 1992. Fla. Entomol. 74: 396-403.

2.	A Literature-based Key to REDUVIIDAE (Heteroptera) of Florida

Contributed by Cotinis on 22 September, 2004 - 11:45pm
Additional contributions by Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 31 January, 2023 - 2:54pm

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: