Assassin bugs in Texas

[Frack]

Hi, I was doing some yard work yesterday and came across a group of assasin bugs, but then I went out again this morning and found 3 more species of them right in my backyard. I really know almost nothing about them so If any one knows of any good websites or anything like that for info on them Id apreciate it. I was really wondering if you can keep them communaly.

The other 2 species I found where only nymphs and where to small to get a pic of.

 

[Orin]

Your first one does not look like an assassin bug. The other (black and white) is H. purcis, a bark assassin, and is a great find. They lay spindle shaped eggs in cracks and can climb. I don't think that species cannibalizes (haven't had it in a long time).

 

[Frack]

Ya I found out last night that the first one is a type of leaf footed bug, I thought it was an assasin cause of the way its mouth parts look. I also found some of what Im pretty sure are wheelbug nymphs.

 

[Frack]

HI, I got a few more pics of em today.

 

[Katnapper]

Hmmm.... colorful little buggers.

 

[revmdn]

We always called them "stink bugs". Assasin sounds way cooler. Are they ok to feed to mantids?

 

[Orin]

True bugs are a massive order with around 82,000 species. The ones called "stink bugs" are certain petatomids, assassins are reduviids (not all reduviids are assassins).

 

[hibiscusmile]

very nice colors, we call them stink too, Orin, what is the diff between them, some times a mantis will eat one, and the other day a orchid took one, bit i t and threw it back at me!

 

[Peter Clausen]

Assassins/Reduviidae are predatory/carnivores. Stinkbugs/Pentatomidae suck juices from plants. They are both in the "true bug" family Hemiptera. The first photo in this thread (leaf-footed bug) is Hypselonotus sp. (sucks plant or seed pod juices).

Not sure where taxonomists are at with this, but I show the white banded bark assassin as Microtomus purcis.