The Assassin bug (Suborder: Heteroptera Family: Reduviidae) vary greatly in body size and shape, ranging from small and either slender or robust to fairly long and slender like some walkingsticks. The characteristic that distinguishes them from all other hemipterans is the stout 3-segmented beak that fits into a grove on the prosternum. The wheel bug pictured below from Arkansas can inflict a painful bite. Assassin bugs are aptly named because of their behavior of lying in ambush for their insect prey. This Hemipteran (or true bug) uses its long beak to stab the victim, inject a lethal toxin that dissolves the victim's tissue, then suck the liquefied tissues through its long beak. Beware, Assassin bugs are aggressive and not afraid to attack creatures much larger than itself.
Assassin Bug
Assassin Bug
Assassin Bug
Assassin Bug
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