CLOSED: What bug is this?

Brisbane, Australia

Just wondering what bug/beetle this is?

Only details I know (if this helps):

We found it on our window sill (outside) at our home in Brisbane, Queensland Australia.
It was quite humid weather when we found it, was close to 30 degrees then turned into a huge storm.
He flew away.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks

Thumbnail by WeanerGirl
Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a)

WeanerGirl,

This forum is for question relating to adding data to the BugFiles database.

We have a forum on Bug and Insect Identification here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/bugid/all/
and if you post your question on there, you may get some help,

Having said that I can tell you something about your bug. It is an Assassin Bug from the family Reduviidae and it looks quite possible that it is the Common Assassin Bug or Bee Killer - Pristhesancus plagipennis which is definitely found in the Brisbane area: http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_bugs/CommonAssa.htm

Most bugs are plant feeders, but the Assassin Bugs kill other insects. They have a long slender proboscis, kept tucked under the body. They kill insects by stabbing them with this proboscis, inject digestive juices and then suck out the digested inside of their prey.

I wrote this article: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/875/
about another Australian Assassin Bug down here in Victoria,

Kennedy
BugFiles Administrator

San Diego, CA

What bug is this?

Thumbnail by MizzouFan
Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a)

I think you have one of the Jerusalem Crickets, a Stenopelmatus species: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket

Yours differs from most in not having a strongly barred abdomen, but it does fit this Mahogany Jerusalem Cricket, which is found in California: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mahogany_Jerusalem_cricket.jpg

Kennedy

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
BACK TO TOP