Assassin Bug Nymph
Oh noes! It is a killer ball of lint! …well, actually, that’s not far from the truth. You are looking into the face of an assassin bug nymph, and it has indeed covered itself in lint.
Assassin bugs, Family Reduviidae, are a fairly diverse group of insects, varying considerably in shape and coloration. The adults out here are a gorgeous shade of black: a pure, glossy black that is so black it shimmers blue and looks wet. The nymphs, as you can see, are… well, actually you can’t see their coloration, at least not easily. The nymphs gather up lint and dust, spit on it, and stick it all over their body for camouflage. I assume that this is defensive camouflage rather than offensive, but that’s just my assumption. They are fairly slow moving, while the adults are quite nimble. I don’t know if the camouflage helps them sneak up on prey, but it could well enable them to ambush prey: a passing insect might touch it with its antennae and assume that it was just a lump of dust.
Oh, and it’s about 4-5mm wide in this photo. The nymphs tend to be 5-8mm long.
Slowly getting the site back onto an even keel. It's nice to get back into the old posting rhythm.
singingnettle said,
October 17, 2007 @ 7:43 am
You mean the dust bunnies under my couch are really baby assassins?
The adults have a hellaceous bite. I wonder if the nymphs are similarly scary. I mean, it’s hard to be afraid of an ambulatory dust ball but just because it’s fuzzy doesn’t mean you oughta pet it.
David Brady said,
October 17, 2007 @ 9:04 am
Hee, yeah… the word I keep coming across in my readings on assassin bugs is “excruciating”. Yikes!
tceisele said,
October 17, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
So, was it actually in the dust bunnies under your furniture? Was it inside, or outside?
David Brady said,
October 17, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
I’ve seen a few of them indoors but mostly I see them in the garage; always on the drywall and other clean spots. Interestingly, the nymphs steer clear of dusty areas–I think it brushes off their camouflage.
SamWibatt said,
October 25, 2007 @ 9:02 am
Beware the Killer Crumb!
Are you sure the nymphs steer clear of dusty areas, or is it just that the ones that are in dusty areas are too well camouflaged for you to see?
David Brady said,
October 25, 2007 @ 9:11 am
I am sure they are not there because otherwise I would not dare to enter my garage or basement ever again LA LA LA I’M NOT LISTENING
Insect Picture of the Day » Assassin Bug Nymph said,
November 14, 2007 @ 7:01 am
[...] another view of the assassin bug nymph I posted last month. It is a titch under 1cm [...]