Can anyone ID this critter?

[Summerbug]

Does anyone know what this critter is? We found him inside our house and don’t know what he is or where he came from. I called him Houdini because he is good at getting out of cages. I want to release him back into the wild but would like to know what he is and where his habitat should be when I release him. Notice he has a proboscis that he keeps tucked in until (I think) he uses it to sip liquids. He is obviously not a mantis. He kind of resembles a stick bug (phasmid) except for that proboscis. I am obviously not an entomologist. Thanks!

 

[Ntsees]

Assasin bug.

 

[HungryGhost]

I believe that's an assassin bug. I usually find a lot of those when I pick wild rassberries.

 

[Summerbug]

Awesome! Thanks to you Ntsees and Hungry Ghost for your responses. Ok-then he can stay in my garden and eat bugs for me. I don't need to worry about putting him in any type of special environment or on any particular plant.

 

[AxolotlsAreCoolToo]

when ever i take nymphs captive they never are interested in fruit flys, i just want to see one eat and molt once then release.

 

[Summerbug]

AxolotlsAreCoolToo, I do the same thing! I like to feed new "guest" nymphs and keep them through a molt and then let them back out. As a matter of fact, before Hungry Ghost and Ntsees helped me out with the ID, I tried veggies first. Obviously, he was not interested in those. Well I found a tent caterpillar for this guy (I believe this assassin bug could be this a Zelidu luridus) and he sucked all the inards out with that "rostrum" device. The caterpillar was about 3 times his volume. All he left was a little tiny crumpled bit of dried out material. He then spent the better part of the last 5 days resting under his leaf. No molt yet though but he has acquired some different coloration. I wonder if these guys molt but don't leave an obvious discarded molt skin?

 

[Peter Clausen]

He can give you a good little bite if he gets the chance. The different coloration, as with mantises, may indicate a pending molt. I'd guess genus as Zelus.