not too sure what this thing is... lol

[toxic667]

well I saw this bug in my basement in Ontario Canada


not even the slightest clue what the heck this thing is... it has 6 legs and its abdomen is flat and scoops up like the letter U. Any ideas?

 

[catfishrod69]

Looks like a species of assassin nymph.

 

[Ciphor]

Looks like a species of assassin nymph.

I don't think it's an assassin bug, rostrum is far to long, and is likely used for sap sucking. Cannot take a guess at it without a better picture tho.

 

[toxic667]

it was covered in dust when I found it...

 

[catfishrod69]

I see. I thought that was a antannae, and it was missing another one. Seemed a bit long to be one though.

I don't think it's an assassin bug, rostrum is far to long, and is likely used for sap sucking. Cannot take a guess at it without a better picture tho.

 

[pitbulllady]

Whatever it is, it's an insect, not a spider or other arachnid, so it really belongs in that forum. You will have better luck getting it ID'd there.

pitbulllady

 

[toxic667]

it has two stuck together. looks like one

---------- Post added 07-11-2012 at 10:42 PM ----------

Whatever it is, it's an insect, not a spider or other arachnid, so it really belongs in that forum. You will have better luck getting it ID'd there.

pitbulllady

Can I move my thread?

 

[catfishrod69]

I thought it might also be two anntanae stuck together. Nope you cant move your own thread, a moderator will have to do that. Also, im still kind of leaning towards assassin. Can you get clear pics that are alot more closeup?

it has two stuck together. looks like one

---------- Post added 07-11-2012 at 10:42 PM ----------



Can I move my thread?

 

[Ciphor]

it has two stuck together. looks like one

---------- Post added 07-11-2012 at 10:42 PM ----------



Can I move my thread?

That is not two antenna stuck together, it is a rostrum (beak). Antenna do not have joints that bend inward. The joints bending inward allow the rostrum to be tucked underneath the bug when it is not in use.

Here is what I know for sure.

That bug is definitely a Hemipteran, characterized by the rostrum (fused mandibles forming a sucking tube)

That bug is unquestionable in the infra-order Pentatmomorphae (sp) superfamily Coreoidea.

Now beyond those things that are certain, I would venture to guess by it's over-all appearance (leg position, abdominal markings, rostrum length, etc.) that it is probably in the family Coreidae or Leaf-footed Bugs. This one I cannot verify without a better image of the legs however.

ID'ing this critter beyond family is where it gets tough, and you would need someone more experienced then me to figure out the sub-family/genus/sp.

---------- Post added 07-12-2012 at 12:48 PM ----------

I thought it might also be two anntanae stuck together. Nope you cant move your own thread, a moderator will have to do that. Also, im still kind of leaning towards assassin. Can you get clear pics that are alot more closeup?

It's not. They do have similar morphology, but the rostrum is way to long. Your using the wrong features to try and ID this (I'll bet you are just looking at the abdomen, not the thorax, or rostrum length)

Assassin bugs Rostrum: http://bugguide.net/node/view/101560

The milkweed assassin has an atypical rostrum, which is thick, and short in length.

Leaf-footed bugs Rostrum: http://bugguide.net/node/view/332045/bgimage

This is an atypical Leaf bug rostrum, where the length is a little shy of being the same as the bugs total body length. (I used an image of it tucked under the bug, so you can better understand the length)

EDIT TO ADD: I forgot to point out why it is clearly a rostrum and not two antenna stuck together. If you look again at the image from bugguide I linked, you will see the major joint that is located on the rostrum where the head meets the thorax (the neck in a sense). The section of rostrum between the joint and head should be the same length as the head. Hope that makes sense. At any rate you can see in the OP's image the rostrum joint, that if the rostrum was positioned under the bug, that section of rostrum is very much the same length as the head. Assassin bugs basically have the same concept of rostrum, however where Coreoideans have a joint and the rostrum continues beyond that joint, bugs in the family Reduviidae (superfamily Cimicomorphae) have no joint, and the rostrum stops at the point of the neck when tucked underneath.

 

[catfishrod69]

I totally see what you are saying. Thanks for helping. But, i thought the leaf-footed bugs were assassins also?

 

[loxoscelesfear]

I totally see what you are saying. Thanks for helping. But, i thought the leaf-footed bugs were assassins also?

hey cat, Coreidae - Leaf-footed Bugs Reduviidae - Assassin Bugs. so many families, so many names drives me crazy

 

[catfishrod69]

I see lol. Thanks for that.

hey cat, Coreidae - Leaf-footed Bugs Reduviidae - Assassin Bugs. so many families, so many names drives me crazy

 

[Ciphor]

I totally see what you are saying. Thanks for helping. But, i thought the leaf-footed bugs were assassins also?

Most feed on a variety of fruit, tender stems, leaves etc.

Since this particular species was found in Ontario, I'm taking a guess that it is likely specialized to feed on seeds (pine cones) of large trees.

In the PNW we have a few species that are pretty impactful to our conifer populations. One species in particular, the western conifer seed bug, has teamed up with a very destructive fungus, root rot (heterobasidion annosum) and absolutely combined the two cause millions in lost revenue, and miles of scarred forest all over the PNW.

I don't often kill stuff, but those guys are definitely SOS (squish on sight).

 

[catfishrod69]

Thats some crazy stuff. Thanks for sharing. I caught a few (what i thought were assassins) a year or so ago. After not getting them to eat anything at all, i finally was able to id them. I think they were corsairs, maybe. I read that they fed on blood from live mammals?

 

[Ciphor]

hey cat, Coreidae - Leaf-footed Bugs Reduviidae - Assassin Bugs. so many families, so many names drives me crazy

Are you talking about me using so many names? Or just entomology in general?

---------- Post added 07-12-2012 at 02:17 PM ----------

Thats some crazy stuff. Thanks for sharing. I caught a few (what i thought were assassins) a year or so ago. After not getting them to eat anything at all, i finally was able to id them. I think they were corsairs, maybe. I read that they fed on blood from live mammals?

Corsair Bugs like most assassins feed on other bugs, I don't know of any assassin bugs that prey on mammalian blood, but I'm no entomologist so don't hold me to that statement!

 

[loxoscelesfear]

Are you talking about me using so many names? Or just entomology in general?

ent in general

 

[Ciphor]

ent in general

It's a nightmare!

 

[desertanimal]

I thought "kissing bugs," the ones that transmit Chagas (during feeding on mammalian blood) were a type of assassin bug. Are they not assassins?

 

[Ciphor]

I thought "kissing bugs," the ones that transmit Chagas (during feeding on mammalian blood) were a type of assassin bug. Are they not assassins?

Just checked and you are of course right. There is a subfamily of Reduviidae, Triatominae that prey on mammalian blood, and have the common name kissing bug. To avoid confusion there are non assassin bugs that also have the name kissing bug.

Learn something new every day.

 

[catfishrod69]

Yeah thats what i had a while back, kissing bugs, not corsairs.