Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Assassin bugs with prey
Zelus janus
26.1791, -98.366
Field Notes
Description:
This was quite an amazing scene. All three assassin bugs had their proboscis in the honey bee at the same time (pic 3 is cropped to give a closer look). Zelus janus is a difficult species to identify as it has a lot of variation in its appearance along with sexual dimorphism. The female is on the upper right and the other two are males, which are slightly smaller, narrower, and darker. Legs are thin and without spurs/spines. Males ave. length is 17.63 mm. Female ave. length 20.53 mm.
Habitat:
Spotted on a flowering fiddlewood shrub. They can flower from February till fall. The dense large leaf foliage that grows close to the bunched flowers makes this a perfect plant for assassin bugs to ambush their prey, which is usually flying insects.
Notes:
This is a neotropical species that ranges from south Texas to Central America. For additional information on the species: https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/8150/element/7/0/zelus/
Comments (2)