A female bee assassin bug, Apiomerus flaviventris (Reduviidae: Hemiptera), collects resin from common desert shrub, brittle bush (Encelia farinosa) in Southern California. This female bug stores this resin its ventral surface of abdomen, and will use it for making its own egg mass. Egg mass will be protected by this sticky plant resin. This is one of the amazing example in plant-insect interactions. More info: Choe, D. H., Rust, M. K. (2007) Use of Plant Resin by a Bee Assassin Bug, Apiomerus flaviventris (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 320-326 http://student.ucr.edu/~dchoe003/

One of his top hits when I was back home for Gawai

Hemiptera: Reduviidae in Taman Negara National Park/ Malaysia

Reduviidae is a large, cosmopolitan family of predatory insects in the suborder Heteroptera. It includes assassin bugs (genera include Melanolestes, Psellipus, Rasahus, Reduvius, Rhiginia, Sinea, Triatoma, and Zelus), wheel bugs (Arilus cristatus), and thread-legged bugs (the subfamily Emesinae, including the genus Emesaya). There are about 7000 species altogether, making it one of the largest families in the Hemiptera.

Heteroptera Reduviidae Agriosphodrus dohrni (yokozuna sashigame) ヨコヅナサシガメ

A doença de Chagas, mal de Chagas ou chaguismo, também chamada tripanossomíase americana, é uma infecção causada pelo protista cinetoplástida flagelado Trypanosoma cruzi, e transmitida por insetos, conhecidos no Brasil como barbeiros (da família dos Reduvideos (Reduviidae), pertencentes aos gêneros Triatoma, Rhodnius e Panstrongylus.

A female bee assassin bug, Apiomerus flaviventris, are ovipositing ("laying eggs") on its plastic cage cover. Females of this species collect and use plant resin of common desert shrub brittle bush(Encelia farinosa) in Southern California. She stores this resin on the ventral surface of abdomen, and use it for making her own egg mass. The egg mass will be protected by this sticky plant resin. This video shows how they transfer small amount resin from their body surface to each egg which being laid. More info: Choe, D. H., Rust, M. K. (2007) Use of Plant Resin by a Bee Assassin Bug, Apiomerus flaviventris (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 320-326 http://student.ucr.edu/~dchoe003/

Immature of Phonoctonus sp. feeding on adult cotton stainer; immatures of both species closely resemble each other, as do the adult stages.

Japanese giant assassin bugs (Isyndus obscurus, family Reduviidae) feigned death for several minutes when overturned. After a while, they tried to roll over and recover their foot using long foot and a pair of antennae. One-yen coin (20mm in diameter) was placed as a scale reference. Mid-October 2008 in Japan. 虫を仰向けに引っくり返してどのように起き上がるのか観察するのが好きです。虫の種類によって起き上がる方法も速さも様々です。この日はオオトビサシガメをたくさん見ました。仰向けにするとしばらく擬死（死んだ振り）します。やがて長い手足と触角を使って横回りで起き上がりました。3匹の別個体で一回ずつ試行。鉄骨を登り始めた一匹は、脚を滑らせてクモの糸に宙吊りになってしまった。

窓枠でのそのそ。秋も深まると他のカメムシ類と一緒に集団越冬するため屋内に侵入する。数はそれほど多くない。 Japanese assassin bug of the family Reduviidae (Isyndus obscurus) walking at the windowsill. Captured on late-October, 2006 in Japan.

A red-rimmed black assassin bug (Rhynocoris ornatus, family Reduviidae) pierced a hunted prey with a needle-like proboscis to suck the body fluid. Early-July 2008 in Japan. アカヘリサシガメが獲物（正体不明）から吸汁していました。望遠から接写に切り替えてレンズを近付けたら案の定、葉裏に逃げようとした。ところが口吻に刺した獲物が葉縁の鋸歯に引っ掛かってしまい、最後は落としてしまった。サシガメの捕食シーンは初めて見ました。次は狩りの瞬間を観察してみたいものです。

insect collecting trips in Southern California

Red-rimmed black assassin bug (Rhynocoris ornatus) in the family Reduviidae, walking on the leaves from fern to mugwort grass. In search of an assassination target? They are ambush predators. Mid-June 2008 in Japan. すごい派手な警戒色。サシガメの捕食シーンは目撃したことがありません※。いざとなったら素早く動くのだろうか？ ※後日、獲物から吸汁中の個体を見つける。しかし依然として狩りの瞬間は見逃した。

First instar immatures of Zelus renardii (Harpactorinae) apply sticky secretions from their egg batch on their legs that help them to catch prey.

Immature of Acanthaspis sp. pretending to be a pile of debris blown around by the wind...

Zelus renardii

An immature of Acanthaspis sp. uses debris and prey insects to camouflage

Gawai song

A typical Gawai joget song where everyone would dance all night long till dawn! Don't forget the beer and liquor!

Just watch the damm MV