# Funky predatory true bug (assassin maybe?) with mantis-like front legs?



## femmephyllocrania (Jul 30, 2008)

It's a light yellow color with some brown markings in the head area and on the wings. I believe it's predatory rather than a plant feeder from the thickness and length of the "beak" and it seemed to go after some fruitflies I put in the jar with it (though it hasn't successfully caught any so I'm not entirely sure). Can someone tell me what this is? Should I be feeding it fruit flies or something else? I'm not actually sure I want to keep it alive. I might just pin and label it later, but for now I'm interested in seeing what it does and what people have to say. Let me know if more information is needed. I live in Eastern Massachusetts.


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## darkspeed (Jul 30, 2008)

:lol: 

No seriously... the only way to even try to make an accurate I.D. is with an actual photo of the specimen.


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## femmephyllocrania (Jul 30, 2008)

DARKSPEED said:


> :lol:
> 
> No seriously... the only way to even try to make an accurate I.D. is with an actual photo of the specimen.


I don't have access to a camera right now so I'm doing the best I can. I've successfully helped people I.D. insects at least to genus without pics based on region and physical description and I've been helped, as well. I emailed a lep. specialist I worked with last semester recently about a strange moth I found and he got back to me quickly with two suggestions of what it could be. I had it I.D.'d to species by the end of the day based on his suggestions and I never gave him any pictures. So, sometimes a general description is enough to get started. All I need is a general idea of where to start looking, if nothing else. Even a possible family ID can be helpful. Basic suggestions on what it could be and where I could find more information on my own (or anything else anyone has to offer) are fine, too. I'm not asking for a down-to-species completely accurate I.D. (that's even impossible with pictures in many cases), just something more to go on.

. Again, I am perfectly willing to provide a more detailed description to anyone who thinks they may have at least an idea of what I'm dealing with, but I can't post any pictures because I don't have a camera right now, so don't ask. I'll take pictures if and when I can.


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## darkspeed (Jul 30, 2008)

The "this thread is worthless" smiley was just a lighthearted joke...................... notice all the smilies are smiling  

If you really just must have an answer based on your description alone, then I would bet it is one of these:






If you want to know more about what that is go here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantispidae

This is an assasin bug.


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## Meiji (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't think it's a mantis fly. As Cass described, it's some kind of true bug. Cass, are you perhaps overstating the resemblance of the fore legs to that of a mantis i.e. they're not specialized for grasping prey, correct? I am thinking it's an assassin bug, or ambush bug or whatever. Anyone who thinks mantis taxonomy is complicated should steer clear of the literature on true bugs. There's like fifty zillion taxa.


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## obregon562 (Jul 30, 2008)

i would bet an ambush bug.


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## Rick (Jul 31, 2008)

www.bugguide.net


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## Morpheus uk (Jul 31, 2008)

Yeah id go for ambuch bug too


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## chrisboy101 (Jul 31, 2008)

looks cooll


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## femmephyllocrania (Jul 31, 2008)

Meiji said:


> Yeah...let's move on from the misunderstanding and talk about insects...I don't think it's a mantis fly. As Cass described, it's some kind of true bug. Cass, are you perhaps overstating the resemblance of the fore legs to that of a mantis i.e. they're not specialized for grasping prey, correct? I am thinking it's an assassin bug, or ambush bug or whatever. Anyone who thinks mantis taxonomy is complicated should steer clear of the literature on true bugs. There's like fifty zillion taxa.


Correct. It does sort of stab at prey with its forelegs, but can't actually hold onto anything with them. They seem to be more for threatening than anything else. Anyway, it is an ambush bug. I actually found a picture that looks almost exactly like it online:

[photo removed]

So thanks.

I doubt anyone who studies entomology as anything other than a hobby would consider mantis taxonomy complicated in comparison to most other groups.

Anyway, glad to have found what I was looking for. Sorry for the unnecessary hostility.


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## Peter Clausen (Jul 31, 2008)

Here's a photo of that same bug that I took.

http://bugsincyberspace.com/ambush_bug.html


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## infinity (Sep 2, 2008)

Many of the underwater Heteroptera are known to have raptorial forelegs (Belostomatidae, Nepidae, and Naucoridae)... but as you said this one was on land, it's most likely going to be the following two:

Common name... (Family).... (SubF)

Assassin bugs (Reduviidae) - Phymatinae

Damsel bugs (Nabidae) - Prostemmatinae

The damsel bugs tend to be quite small so probably one of the Phymatinae


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## Rick (Sep 5, 2008)

Did you go to bugguide and try to find it? That site is fantastic.


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## femmephyllocrania (Sep 6, 2008)

Hey! Just thought I'd update this a little. The bug was a Jagged Ambush Bug (Phymata americana) and since then I've collected a little over a dozen mating pairs and I've now got several clusters of eggs waiting to (hopefully) hatch in the spring. I'm also considering aiming my concentrations toward the Homoptera (including Hemiptera depending on who you ask) as far as education and research go. Not possitive and I'm sure I'll have to narrow it down even further from there, but we'll see, they're definitely fascinating little weirdos. Thanks for the help


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