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Always keep assassin bug nymphs solitary. No matter what the species or what is said about their community potential, it is always best to keep nymphs separate if you want as many specimens as possible to survive until adulthood. Alex S.

I do not believe in “quicky sight ID”. I only give a specimen 100% positive ID if it is actually in my possession and morphology can be observed first hand. For an individual that really knows what they are looking for, Reduviidae and Alydidae can look very different, even at quick glance...

Look at the pictures. It is easy to tell even from the blurry ones that this insect is a reduviid. Just a quick glance at the overall body shape gives it away. It doesn’t resemble Alydidae in the least. No matter how much you want it to be, this hemipteran is not of the family Alydidae. You are...

This hemipteran is not of the family Alydidae. First of all, the head to thorax ratio does not apply to every species. Look at the pictures. The head of this insect is clearly slimmer than the thorax. Also note the enlarged front legs relative the other legs, a characteristic of the Reduviidae...

The insect you found is an assassin bug (Heteroptera: Reduviidae). It’s probably Reduvius personatus, which is a fairly common species. Nymphs of this species will cover themselves with debris for camouflage. Two main external identifying characteristics of the Reduviidae that are visible with a...

Arilus cristatus, the largest known reduviid in North America. Also known to have one of the worst bites of any North American reduviid, because of its large size. Very nice find. Alex S.

Post-molt has very little to do with a solifugid’s ability to climb glass. I’ve kept Eremobates that can climb glass at any time, although, this may vary from family to family. Larger bodied species, such as Rhagodes, probably have more trouble climbing vertical objects. Alex S.

Smaller species, such as those within the family Ammotrechidae or Eremobatidae, tend to have shorter life spans while larger species, such as Galeodidae or Solpugidae, have longer life spans. Alex S.

Using stones in solifugid terrariums is definitely a good idea. Most species occur in arid areas with scattered rocks. I always put several stones in my Eremobatidae enclosures and the specimens spend much of their time either resting next to or on top of the stones. Use several small to...

These organs on the last pair of legs are not pectines, they are called malleoli or "racquet organs". Their function is not completely known. They may be used in a similar way to scorpions pectines, sensing the presence of chemical changes on the ground. Alex S.

Hi Dr zuum, Undoubtedly, the soldiers did see very large solifuges, but people tend to greatly exaggerate when they see such an “unusual” animal for the first time, especially for someone that has never encountered one of the smaller species of Solifugae. For someone who has never seen a...

There is very little truth to most of those comments. Various species of the genus Galeodes (Family Galeodidae) compete for the largest solifugid species known. A very large, female specimen may reach 3 inches in body length and 6 to 7 inches in legspan. These stories of 12-inch solifuges are...

Awesome solifugid. Members of the family Rhagodidae are often stout-legged with large bodies and unusually colored relative to other Solifugae. The supposedly venomous species is Rhagodes nigrocinctus from India. Your specimen is most likely one of the large African rhagodids, which are not...

Hi Jim, Like Phormingochilus said, there is a flagellum on the male chelicerae. Also the size and stockiness of the body relative to the legs indicates that they are most likely females, where as males have a lankier build. Alex S.

Very nice solifugids. They are both females. The first one is of the family Galeodidae and most likely in the genus Galeodes. Galeodes arabs is a fairly common, large species of northern Africa so it is possible that is what it could be. Separate species within the genus Galeodes are almost...

Gluvia dorsalis, the common European solifugid... very nice find and photos. Alex S.

There are some accounts of populations being smaller relative to where they were previously. I highly doubt any entire-species extinction will occur any time soon as belostomatids are extremely hardy insects that reproduce very successfully. There are Lethocerus breeding farms for the Asian food...

All members within the family Belostomatidae go by the common name giant water bugs. Species within the subfamily Belostomatinae are smaller reaching an average adult length of 1 to 1.5 inches. The specimen pictured is within this subfamily. Those within the subfamily Lethocerinae, containing...

The proboscis, or rostrum (needle-like feeding structure), is a major identifying characteristic for and in the order Hemiptera. In Coreidae the proboscis has 4 segments. The Coreidae is really an awesome family, containing the giant mesquite bugs (genus: Thasus), which are some of the largest...

The insect is a hemipteran of the family Coreidae, commonly known as leaf-footed bugs or squash bugs. The specimen pictured is most likely of the genus Leptoglossus. Members of this family are mainly phytophagous, but some are predacious. Alex S.