A bug I found on the road

[Buspirone]

Actually I found two of them. They were either fighting or mating as they were locked together at the time of discovery. Both are about an inch long. I like the ridge on their backs which is why I decided to keep them. I appologoze in advance for the lousy quality of the pics but my camera sucks and I was in a rush.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Whoa! What are those things? About how big are they?

 

[GQ.]

That is a wheel bug, Arilus cristatus, of the assassin bug family reduviidae. Very nice find! Watch those fingers. They have a painful bite.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Feed Em crickets.

 

[SeanJo]

Those kinda look like the stink bugs we have here in Tx... Is the "Stink Bug" a member of the assassin bug family?

 

[Alex S.]

Nice specimens. A. cristatus is North America's largest reduviid. Adult specimens can get nearly 1.5 inches in body length. Beautiful species...

Alex S.

 

[Malhavoc's]

I've had stink bugs in captivity before. put it in with a buterfly.. later that day it was eating the butterfly? So I think they are a memeber of the assassins?

 

[Alex S.]

Those kinda look like the stink bugs we have here in Tx... Is the "Stink Bug" a member of the assassin bug family?

Stink bugs are of their own family, Pentatomidae (aprox. 6000 species), while assassin bugs are of the family Reduviidae (aprox. 6500 species). Many stink bugs, like reduviids, are highly predacious.

Alex S.

 

[Buspirone]

The wheel bugs laid some eggs. Any tips on caring for the eggs?

 

[jdcarrel]

ahh, I was bitten by one of those in my backyard a few years back. I have caught and mounted two of them. I will post it when I get back home next weekend.