I took this picture several months ago in a small public garden where I volunteer in Gainesville, Georgia.
I think it is Triatoma sanguisuga, aka the kissing bug. T. sanguisuga is a type of Assassin bug, known to carry a nasty disease and was featured recently in an article with a warning from the CDC.
It likely is not the Triatoma sanguisuga. They tend to hide during the day, not be out in the open as your insect is. There is an image on this link.
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/URBAN/Triatoma_sanguisuga.htm
I tried finding a match for your insect since I like identifying bugs, but didn't succeed. I hope another comes along with a name for yours. :)
Thanks for the input. I know nothing about them. Mine looks very similar though.
Hopefully someone with knowledge will speak up. I won't ask our County Agent. He is a worthless moron :(
Well, even if my County Agent is useless, the UGA staff is excellent!
Lisa Ames of the Homeowner Insect & Weed Diagnostics Lab, UGA Griffin Campus, speedily offered this ID:
Florida stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus). They are beneficial insects, being excellent predators of insects including many pest caterpillars.
Glad you got your answer. There are so many insects that look similar to each other yet are not even related. I no longer squish anything at first glance. I suspect I have let a few bad ones go, but am glad to know I let some beneficial bugs alone. :)
