Help ID this assassin

mantidsaresweet · Jul 5, 2011

I went out insect collecting two days ago and found 3 assassin bugs (or at least I think they are lol). Can anybody on here help me ID the species.

There are a few vids of them on my youtube channel Roalef31

I don't know how to post vids from there onto here.

Please check it out and try and help.

Also there have been crickets in there with them for a few days and they have not eaten. Any ideas as to why this is?

Thanks

Idolofreak · Jul 5, 2011

The reason they're not eating the crickets is because they're not assassin bugs. They look like a species of leaf footed bug. If they were assassin bugs, they would be shaped a little differently. Also, the rostrum (snout/needle/straw/you get the idea) of an assassin bug is short and shaped like a hook. Your bugs eat tree and plant sap and stuff like that. But it's so hard to feed them in captivity that you should let them go unless you know some way to get them to eat in a cage.

mantidsaresweet · Jul 5, 2011

You are right! Thanks so much and no wonder they won't eat lol.

I'll be letting them go now.

Edit: I think that they are Piezogaster calcarator. Very interesting insect.

Peter Clausen · Jul 6, 2011

To post a video, just click the "Insert Media" icon above the typing window. Then copy the URL from YouTube and paste it in the box that comes up after you click the icon. The icon appears last on the right as overlapping green, red and blue squares. I'm totally interested in seeing your hemipterans, but too preoccupied to track them down on YouTube