| Psyttala horrida | |
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| A live individual of Psyttala horrida | |
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| Species: | P. horrida |
| Binomial name | |
| Psyttala horrida (Stål, 1865) | |
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Psyttala horrida is an insect in the assassin bug genus Psyttala . It is commonly called the horrid king assassin bug or giant spiny assassin bug, and the scientific name is commonly misspelled as Psytalla. [1] [2]
This species is endemic to tropical western Africa, from Togo to Cameroon.
Psyttala horrida can reach a body length of 3–4.5 centimetres (1.2–1.8 in). [3] and over 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in private collections. It is the largest species of assassin bug in the world. These large and sturdy built insects are characterized by an elongated head, a relatively narrow neck and a rigid, prominent, segmented, tubular mouthparts or proboscis (also called rostrum). Antennae are long and thin. The basic color of the body is black. They show a very prominent crown of thorns on thorax and red and black warning colors on the edge of the abdomen (laterotergites). On the hemelytra are present a few red markings. Legs are rather long, with red and black femurs and completely red tibiae. This species presents an evident sexual dimorphism. In fact the underside of the female's abdomen is completely smooth, while the males at the end of the abdomen have a round outgrowth. [3]
Females lay their eggs in the substrate a few weeks after mating. The incubation may last four to six weeks. The young insects at birth measure about five millimeters. They have a red thorax and abdomen and yellow legs. The chest turns black within a few days. The growth lasts between six and eight months and the young will make six moults to reach the adult stage. Adults live on average one to two years. [3] [4]
These terrestrial ambush predators live hidden in timber or dead trees during the day, coming out at night [3] to feed on their prey, that they kill with the venom injected by their rigid rostrum. They can also spray a noxious fluid.
Hemiptera is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from 1 mm (0.04 in) to around 15 cm (6 in), and share a common arrangement of piercing-sucking mouthparts. The name "true bugs" is often limited to the suborder Heteroptera.
The Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of the suborder Heteroptera of the order Hemiptera. Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators; most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main examples of non-predatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae, with a few species from South America noted for their ability to transmit Chagas disease. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable: they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and formidable curved proboscis. Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.
Arilus cristatus, also known as the North American wheel bug or simply wheel bug, is a species of large assassin bug in the family Reduviidae and the only species of wheel bug found in the United States. It is one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America, reaching up to 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length in its adult stage. It is sexually dimorphic, in that males are somewhat smaller than the females. A characteristic structure is the wheel-shaped pronotal armor. North American wheel bugs prey on caterpillars and beetles, such as Japanese beetles, the cabbage worm, orange dogs, tent caterpillars, and the Mexican bean beetle, all of which they pierce with their beak to inject salivary fluids that dissolve soft tissue. The North American wheel bug is most active in daylight, but may engage in predatory behaviors at night in areas illuminated by lights. Because most of its prey are pests, the wheel bug is considered beneficial.
The Cimicomorpha are an infraorder of insects in the order Hemiptera, the true bugs. The rostrum and other morphology of some members apparently is adapted to feeding on animals as their prey or hosts. Members include bed bugs, bat bugs, assassin bugs, and pirate bugs.
Reduvius personatus or the masked hunter is an insect belonging to the assassin bug (Reduviidae) family. The name is because its nymphs camouflage themselves with dust. The masked hunter is a predator of small arthropods, including woodlice, lacewings, earwigs, bed bugs and termites. Masked hunters do not feed on human blood, but can sting humans in self-defense when mishandled. The sting can be painful, but masked hunters do not carry Chagas disease unlike the kissing bug for which they are sometimes mistaken.
Hydrometridae is a family of semiaquatic insects, known as marsh treaders or water measurers. They have a characteristic elongated head and body which makes them resemble a yardstick for measuring the water surface.
Heteropteryx is a monotypic genus of stick insects containing Heteropteryx dilatata as the only described species. and gives its name to the family of the Heteropterygidae. Their only species may be known as jungle nymph, Malaysian stick insect, Malaysian wood nymph, Malayan jungle nymph, or Malayan wood nymph and because of their size it is commonly kept in zoological institutions and private terrariums of insect lovers. It originates from the Malay Archipelago and is nocturnal.
Coreus marginatus is a herbivorous species of true bug in the family Coreidae. It is commonly known as the dock bug as it feeds on the leaves and seeds of docks and sorrels. It is a medium-sized speckled brown insect, between 13 and 15 mm long as an adult, with a broad abdomen. It occurs throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa. It is often found in dense vegetation, such as hedgerows and wasteland.
Insects in the subfamily Phymatinae are commonly called ambush bugs after their habit of lying in wait for prey, relying on their superb camouflage. Armed with raptorial forelegs, ambush bugs routinely capture prey ten or more times their own size. They form a subgroup within the assassin bugs.
The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence of scales on the external parts of the body and appendages, especially the wings. Butterflies and moths vary in size from microlepidoptera only a few millimetres long, to a wingspan of many inches such as the Atlas moth. Comprising over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera possess variations of the basic body structure which has evolved to gain advantages in adaptation and distribution.
Zelus renardii, commonly known as the leaf hopper assassin bug, is a predacious insect contained within tribe Harpactorini. Diurnal and found on both wild and crop plants, Z. renardii has spread from its native habitats in western North and Central America into three other biogeographic regions across the globe.
Trichopoda pennipes is a species of feather-legged fly in the dipteran family Tachinidae.
Phymata crassipes is a species of assassin and thread-legged bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Phymatinae.
Triatoma indictiva is an arthropod in the assassin bug family of Reduviidae, and is an important vector of Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is the protozoan that causes Chagas Disease, which affects approximately eight million people a year in the western hemisphere alone. Triatoma indictiva is found in Mexico and throughout the southern United States, including Arizona and Texas.
The western corsair is a species of assassin bug and is one of the two species of "two spotted corsairs", the other being Rasahus biguttatus. The adults have an orange and black body and an orange spot on each wing. They feed primarily on other insects and after dark are attracted to bright lights. Unlike most of the other assassin bugs, the bite of the western corsair can be extremely painful.
Ptilocnemus lemur is a species of feather-legged bug in the family Reduviidae native to Australia. Commonly known as the feather-legged assassin bug, it is a predator with a specialized gland called a trichome that it uses to attract and paralyse ants before feeding on them.
Psyttala is a genus of insects belonging to the assassin bugs. The name is commonly misspelled as Psytalla (e.g.).
Rhynocoris marginatus is a species of assassin bug in the family Reduviidae. It is a predator of other insects and is found in Asia. Crops in India on which it has been found feeding on pests include sugarcane, pigeon pea, cardamom, cotton, tea, and peanuts. The insects are potentially useful in biological control because they are more resistant to pesticides than are the pests on which they feed.
Acanthaspis quinquespinosa is a species of assassin bug found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Tibet. It is a predator, and both nymphs and adults feed on termites, beetles, caterpillars and other insect prey.
Haaniella gintingi is a stick insect species from Sumatra. It is a typical representative of the subfamily Heteropteryginae. The occasionally used common name Ginting's Haaniella refers to the species name.
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