| Ptilocnemus lemur | |
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| Species: | P. lemur |
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| Ptilocnemus lemur (Westwood, 1840) | |
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.
Ptilocnemus lemur is a moderate sized assassin bug. It has a small head with a pair of feathery antennae with three segments, and a large down-curving proboscis, a wide thorax and a moderately broad abdomen. The wings have three veins. The hind pair of legs are much larger than the other two pairs and the tibiae of these are heavily clad with bristles. The head and thorax are yellowish-brown and the abdomen mottled grey and black. [1]
P. lemur is native to Australia where it lives in forests. It can be found on the trunks of trees where its drab colours help to camouflage it as it stands on the bark. [2]
The trichome is a glandular structure on the ventral surface of the third abdominal segment. It produces a secretion that is attractive to ants and which paralyses them. In addition to this, there are glandular patches on the front few abdominal segments, and these patches, but not the trichome, are also present in nymphs of this species. [3]
Both adults and nymphs of this assassin bug are specialist predators on ants. The feeding behaviour of the nymph has been closely studied. It stands near an ant trail and waves one of its hairy hind legs to attract the attention of a passing ant, the jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula) often being targeted. The prey may be bigger than the nymph, [2] and is also lured towards the bug by the release of a pheromone. When an ant approaches, the nymph raises its body so that the ant can taste the secretion produced by the trichome. The bug waits for the ant to grab its hind leg and then turns round and plunges the stylets in the proboscis into a weak spot in the ant's cuticle, the joint at the back of the head. It then jerks and shakes the ant around, perhaps to prevent it from biting, and injects saliva into the wound. The ant soon dies and the bug may carry it to a crevice or other concealed spot. When the body contents of the ant have liquefied, the bug sucks out the body fluids. [2] [4] [ unreliable source? ]
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 nonpredatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable; they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and a 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.
Treehoppers and thorn bugs are members of the family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. About 3,200 species of treehoppers in over 400 genera are known. They are found on all continents except Antarctica; only five species are known from Europe. Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months.
Acanthosomatidae is a family of Hemiptera, commonly named "shield bugs" or "stink bugs". Kumar in his 1974 world revision recognized 47 genera; now this number is 55 genera, with about 200 species, and it is one of the least diverse families within Pentatomoidea. The Acanthosomatidae species are found throughout the world, being most abundant in high-latitude temperate regions and in subtropical regions at high altitudes.
Harpegnathos saltator, sometimes called the Indian jumping ant or Jerdon's jumping ant, is a species of ant found in India. They have long mandibles and have the ability to leap a few inches. They are large-eyed and active predators that hunt mainly in the early morning. The colonies are small and the difference between workers and queens is very slight.
This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists.
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 bite humans in self-defense when mishandled. The bite can be painful, but masked hunters do not carry Chagas disease unlike the kissing bug for which they are sometimes mistaken.
Idolomantis is a monotypic genus of praying mantises in the family Empusidae. It contains the single species, Idolomantis diabolica, commonly known as the devil's flower mantis or giant devil's flower mantis. It is one of the largest species of praying mantises, and is possibly the largest that mimics flowers.
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.
The Holoptilinae are a subfamily of Reduviidae known as feather-legged bugs or ant wolves. Several members of the subfamily specialize on ants. About 16 genera are known, with about 80 species described. Species in the Holoptilini tribe possess a specialized organ called a trichome to attract ants.
Ptilocnemus is a genus of feather-legged bugs in the Holoptilinae subfamily. At least 12 species have been described. These species have a specialized gland called a trichome that produces a chemical to attract and paralyze ants.
Ptilocnemus femoralis is a species of feather-legged bugs in the subfamily Holoptilinae. This species is found in Australia and has a specialized gland called a trichome that produces a chemical to attract and paralyze ants.
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.
Acanthaspis petax is a species of assassin bug that preys primarily on ants, but also on a variety of small insects, such as flies, small grasshoppers and beetles. The nymphs of this species create a pile of ant carcasses on their backs for camouflage. The adults do not use camouflage and are coloured with a red and black pattern.
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.
Coxoplectoptera or "chimera wings" is an extinct order of stem-group mayflies containing one family, Mickoleitiidae.
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.
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.