- Reduviidae
image_caption = Assassin bug in the sub-family Harpactocorinae
image_width = 250px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Insect a
ordo =Hemiptera
subordo =Heteroptera
superfamilia =Cimicomorpha
familia = Reduviidae
familia_authority = Latreille, 1807
subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
subdivision =Apiomerinae
Ectrichodiinae
Emesinae
Harpactorinae
Peiratinae
Phymatinae
Reduviinae
Saicinae Salyavatinae Stenopodainae
Tegeinae
Triatominae
Tribelocephalinae
etc.Reduviidae is a large, cosmopolitan family of predatory
insect s in the suborderHeteroptera . It includes assassin bugs (genera include "Melanolestes ", "Psellipus ", "Rasahus ", "Reduvius ", "Rhiginia ", "Sinea ", "Triatoma ", and "Zelus"),wheel bug s ("Arilus cristatus"), and thread-legged bugs (the subfamilyEmesinae , including the genus "Emesaya "). There are about 7000 species altogether, making it one of the largest families in theHemiptera .Physical characteristics
) to produce sound.
Feeding
They use the long proboscis to inject a lethal
saliva that liquefies the insides of the prey, which are then sucked out. The legs of some of these bugs are covered in tiny hairs that serve to make them sticky to hold onto their prey while they feed. The saliva is commonly effective at killing substantially larger prey than the bug itself. As nymphs, some species will cover andcamouflage themselves with debris, or the remains of dead prey insects.Some species have been known to feed oncockroach es orbedbug s (in the case of themasked hunter ) and are regarded in many locations as beneficial. Some people breed them as pets and for insect control.Human contact
Many assassin bugs have been known to bite humans when not handled carefully. For some species the bite is known to be very painful, sometimes causing allergic reactions, and bites can become infected, as with any wound.
Some blood-sucking species, particularly "
Triatoma spp." and other members of the subfamilyTriatominae (e.g., "Paratriatoma hirsuta ") , are also known as kissing bugs due to their habit of biting humans in their sleep on the soft tissue of the lips and eyes; a number of these haematophagous species, located in Central and South America, are able to transmit a potentially fataltrypanosome disease known asChagas disease (American trypanosomiasis ).External links
* [http://www.reduviidae.org/ Reduviidae Taxonomy Site]
* [http://www.heteroptera.ucr.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=51 Reduviidae Systematics Research at UC Riverside]
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