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- The process of hunting is both quick and efficient. Once an assassin bug has located its target, it uses its narrowed neck to stab the prey and inject it with a powerful enzyme. This enzyme liquefies the internal organs of the prey, allowing the bug to suck out the nutritious contents.
animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/assassin-bug.htmThe Assassin Bug Liquefies Its Victims' Organs Before Feasting
- Assassin Bug Profile
- Interesting Assassin Bug Facts
- Assassin Bug Fact-File Summary
The word “bug” gets thrown around with reckless abandon in the non-entomology world, but it does have a true meaning in zoology: a true bug is from the order Hemiptera and is characterised by its piercing mouthparts and often shield-shaped body. Most bugs are plant suckers like aphids, but some feed on blood, such as bedbugs. Then there’s the famil...
1. They’re biters
All bugs bite one thing or another, but almost all predatory bugs live in the water, which makes assassin bugs unusual still. As bugs, these are real suckers. A long, rigid proboscis hides under the insect’s head, ready to unfold and impale unsuspecting prey. In most cases, this is a caterpillar or a small beetle, but sometimes it’s the young of a rival species!
2. Their proboscis is sheathed
Once they’re done slaughtering their enemies, that formidable piercing lance returns to its folded position, like a flick knife, under the head of the bug. It’s protected by a stiff sheath that not only keeps it sharp but also helps it talk.
3. They can use it to sing
Assassin bugs are capable of stridulation. This is a form of noise-based communication that can be accomplished by rubbing two stiff bits of insect together. Crickets, cicadas, and even longhorn beetles make sound this way, and as it happens, so do assassin bugs. While most insects use stridulation as a loving call to a potential mate, this would be uncharacteristic of a warrior race like the assassin bugs; instead, it seems to be primarily a defence sound and is thought to occur as a result...
Scientific Classification
1. “The Wheel Bug”, College of Agriculture Food and Environment. 2. Andrew A. Walker, “Melt With This Kiss: Paralyzing and Liquefying Venom of The Assassin Bug Pristhesancus plagipennis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)”, Science Direct. 3. “Parasites – American Trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas Disease)”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 4. John H. Klotz (2010), “Kissing Bugs”: Potential Disease Vectors and Cause of Anaphylaxis”, Oxford Academic. 5. “Feather-legged assassin bug”, Pictur...
- Grasslands, forests and more
- Worldwide
- 6-10 months
- Up to about 3.3cm (1.5 inch)
Jun 27, 2023 · Assassin bugs use a curved, dagger-like mouthpart known as a rostrum or proboscis to kill prey. An assassin bug spears its victim, injects lethal venom or digestive juices to kill it,...
After stabbing the prey with their proboscis, they inject venom or digestive juices into the body of the prey. This can effectively kill prey much larger than the assassin bug. They feed primarily on insects, but a few insects are considered parasitic and feed on mammalian blood.
Apr 16, 2024 · Assassin bugs usually kill their prey by stabbing them with their sharp mouthparts. These straw-like mouthparts are more suited for sucking rather than biting. Apart from sucking the juices of prey insects, assassin bugs also liquefy the prey’s body for consumption by injecting certain pre-digestion enzymes.
Jan 18, 2024 · Once they pounce on their prey, they stab them and release a paralyzing toxin that overcomes and kills the victim. And, If that wasn’t gruesome enough, then they suck their prey’s liquified innards through their straw-like mouthparts.
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Jul 11, 2018 · Some assassin bugs have a unique way of catching their prey. Bee assassins, for example, cover their legs in sticky plant residues and use them to capture the bees that land on flowering plants (4). Feather-legged bugs secrete a substance that attracts and paralyzes ants (4).
