#reduviidae

[musiclovingmoth]

💃🛞☀️

[herpsandbirds]

Tarantula Hawk Mimic Assassin Bug (Zelurus spinidorsis), family Reduviidae, Costa Rica

As the name suggests, this true bug mimics tarantula hawk wasps in the genera Pepsis and Hemipepsis, which have incredibly painful stings.

photograph by Kevin Lovatto

[ljsbugblog]

a Common Assassin Bug, mouthparts extended as she sneaks up on an unsuspecting Grass-dart (who escaped unharmed). definitely some of my favourite photos I've ever taken, and such a fascinating moment to witness!

Common Assassin Bug (Pristhesancus plagipennis) and Narrow-brand Grass-dart (Ocybadistes flavovittatus), April '24.

[leifcollectsbugs]

Above, Arilus cristatus a North American Wheel Bug, the largest terrestrial hemipteran, and assassin bug in the US, photographed and edited on my phone 🤳

[mushrooms-and-millipedes]

One of the funnier iNat interactions I've had recently

[bowelfly]

i'm thinking about bugs

[razehider]

as adults, ambush bugs are tiny, sneaky, and in my case, rare enough to make photographing them a pain in the ass (although that doesn't stop me since they're some of my favorites). when they're nymphs like this Phymata monstrosa, all of those nightmarish qualities intensify and i only originally spotted it because it was having a feast in an area mysteriously full of diapriid wasps - the perfect pint-sized snack for this child

(August 8th, 2025)

[ichneumoniid]

This stubby little assassin bug hunts millipedes. You would think such an insect would be found, like, somewhere near millipede habitat, but this one was flitting along a stretch of sidewalk.

(Rhiginia cruciata, IN, 5/14/2026)