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HEMIPTERA, Reduviidae (Latreille 1807) -- <Images>
& <Juveniles> Description
& Statistics
In Amalus sp. and Beharus lunatus L. & S., the fore tibiae and the reduced tarsi are covered
with fresh resin, by which the prey, consisting mainly of ants of the genus Dolichoderus, is captured (China
1932). Clausen (1940) remarked on an
observation by E. E. Green in Ceylon on the habits of Physorhynchus linnaei
Stal. The apterous females, which are
only 1/6th in. long, attack the giant millepede. This host, which is almost 6 in. long., is completely and
permanently paralyzed, and the beak is inserted for feeding into the ventral
area near the caudal end of the body.
In Australia, Pristhesancus papuensis Stal, is an important
natural enemy of plant bugs, but is occasionally attacks honeybees. All active stages of Zelus
peregrinus Kirk. are predaceous,
subsisting largely on aphids in fruit trees and leafhoppers in cane fields
(Swezey 1905). However, they are not
completely beneficial because extensive attack on coccinellid larvae has been
observed. Plank (1939) found nymphs
and adults of Peregrinator biannulipes Montr. associated with
powder-post beetles, Dinoderus minutus F. in bamboo in Puerto
Rico. Both nymphs and adults attack
the beetles when they emerge from their galleries. Reduviidae is a large family with over 3,000 species described as
of 2000. Although they occur
worldwide, reduviids are most abundant in tropical and subtropical
climates. Diagnostic characters of
these "assassin bugs" include their elongated shape, and their head
usually has a transverse groove between the eyes; ocelli usually present;
rostrum 3-segmented, usually curved, and fitting into a groove in the prosternum. The front femora are usually
thickened. These brown to black,
medium or large sized bugs may inflict painful bites. Most Reduviidae are predators of different stages and groups of
insects that frequent plants in a variety of terrestrial habitats. Their prey includes of aphids, leafhoppers
and caterpillars. Some species are
hematophagous on mammalian and avian blood, and some species serve as vectors
of human trypanosomiasis. One species
has been used in biological pest control of the rhinoceros beetle on Pacific
islands (e.g., Fiji). Further Description The name comes from Reduvius
which derives from the Latin reduvia meaning hangnail or remnant). It is a large, cosmopolitan family of
predatory insects in the suborder Heteroptera. It includes assassin bugs
(genera include Melanolestes, Platymeris, Pselliopus, Rasahus,
Reduvius, Rhiginia, Sinea, Triatoma, and Zelus),
= (Arilus cristatus), and thread-legged bugs (the subfamily Emesinae,
including the genus Emesaya). There are about 7009 species known, in
this one of the largest families in the Hemiptera. Adult
insects often range from 4.1 to 40.4 mm. Long. They most often have an
elongated head with a distinct narrowed neck, long legs, and a
conspicuous, segmented tube for feeding (rostrum). Most species are dark in
color with shades of brown, black, red, or orange. The most obvious
charactaer of the family is in the tip of the rostrum, which fits into a groove in the prosternum, where it is rasped against ridges
there (a stridulitrum) to produce sound.
This behavior is often used to ward off predators. If aggression continues, they area able to use their
rostrum to create a painful bite which in some species can be medically
important The long rostrum is able
to inject a lethal saliva that liquefies the body contents of the prey, which
are then sucked out. The legs of some species are covered in tiny hairs that
makes them sticky and enables them to hold onto their prey while they feed.
The saliva is also effective at killing much larger prey. The nymphs of some
species will cover and camouflage themselves with debris, or the remains of
dead insects. Some species also feed on cockroaches or bedbugs and thus are
beneficial. Sometimes they are reared for insect control. A few groups of assassin
bugs specialize on certain prey, such as ants, termites, or diplopods
(Ectrichodiinae). Some blood-sucking
species, especially Triatoma spp. and others of the subfamily
Triatominae (e.g., Paratriatoma hirsuta) , are also known as kissing
bugs due to their behavior of biting humans in their sleep on the soft tissue
of the lips and eyes; a number of these haematophagous species, located in
tropical America, are able to transmit a sometimes fatal trypanosome disease known as Chagas disease (American
trypanosomiasis). References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references
may be found at: MELVYL
Library] Fracker, S.
B. 1912. A systematic outline of the Reduviidae of North America. Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci. 19: 217-47. Miller, N. C.
E. 1971.
The Biology of the Heteroptera.
E. W. Classey Ltd., Hampton Middlesex, England. 206 p. Weirauch,
Christiane & Munro, James B. 2009. Molecular phylogeny of the assassin
bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), based on mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal
genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution: 53 (2009) 287–299 |