CLOSED: Help ID please

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txsusieq Friendswood, TX Oct 20, 2009

I found this on my door when I came home - they are teeny, tiny . . . . I live south of Houston.

Thumbnail by txsusieq
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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Oct 20, 2009

These are young nymphs of a true bug (Hemiptera; suborder Heteroptera); likely assassin bugs (family Reduviidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/ygvh8zt for an example. There also are some leaf-footed bugs (family Coreidae) that can have nymphs with a similar appearance - see http://tinyurl.com/ykf3dx4

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txsusieq Friendswood, TX Oct 21, 2009

Thanks suunto, I think you're right with the assassin bugs. I appreciate your help.

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 21, 2009

Those are northern leaf-footed bug nymphs, Leptoglossus phyllopus. They are in the Coreidae family. I can see the two red spots on their backs. The egg case also points to them. http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG295/html/stink_bugs_and_leaffooted_bugs.htm

These are not good guys...

BTW, that would be a good photo for BugFiles with the egg case.


This message was edited Oct 21, 2009 10:41 AM

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Oct 21, 2009

Thanks, ceejaytown - I was not at all confident of my answer; I did not have my glasses on when I looked at txsusieq's image, and missed seeing the dorsal abdominal glands. My apologies for the miscue.

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peony1066 Sugar Land, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 23, 2009

Is it a distinguishing factor that leaf footed bugs hang out in crowds and assassin bugs don't? I've read that somewhere and I use it as a guide on who to do away with and who to leave alone.

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 23, 2009

You can find leaf-footed bugs alone. But if you see a whole bunch of bugs together, often with several instars or stages (as they get bigger and bigger), you can be sure they are up to no good. They're having a picnic and the plant is the food.

The only time assassin bugs are together is when they first hatch out of their eggs.

One way to be sure, is to see what they are eating. If their beak (mouth part that resembles a straw) is stuck into the plant, they are "bad guys". Assassin bugs eat only insects.

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peony1066 Sugar Land, TX(Zone 9a) Oct 23, 2009

Ok, good. I have managed to catch several batches. They can cause widespread trouble.

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