Assassin Bug

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Assassin Bug (family Reduviidae) clicked in Matheran. Found this while browsing through my older files. Not my best image, but I was eager to share this species- a favourite of mine. :)

One of the most efficient ambush predators of the insect world. The knife-like mouthpart (rostrum) is used to first stab and inject a lethal saliva into the prey (usually other insects) and then as a straw to suck out the liquefied matter. The saliva of some species is potent enough to kill animals many times larger than the bug itself.
Many species of assassin bugs prey on cockroaches, bedbugs etc. and are thus considered important pest controllers. In some regions they are specifically bred for this purpose.

Manual Exposure
Tv 1/200
Av 16.0
ISO 400
Flash On
Flash EC -2/3
Full frame, hand held.
No PP done here.

Thanks, C&C awaited.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Interesting. Wish the leaves were devoid of dust. However, its body colour kind of matches with the dusty leaf. What is the impact on people and dogs? What is the size of this insect?

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Sabyasachi,
The bug's body is about 1 inch long. There are a few blood sucking species (which also feed from humans) in other parts of the world, but there are no such species in India.

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice to see this species. The composition is good. Nice details. Why is this your favourite :)? Thank for sharing the information.

[Bibhav Behera]

Just the other day on discovery I was seeing a small documentary on the assasin bug and here it is. Talk about coincidences :)

It has a very powerful rostum which it uses to stab prey and inject digestive saliva and suck the inners of the prey till it is dry. Truly an inspiration for Monster Attack Movies I am sure. :)

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Thanks everyone.
Mrudul: I just like it for its unfailing hunting technique... and its looks :D
Bibhav: Was it 'Monster Bug Wars' on Discovery? I watched it too, that's what prompted me to post this :). It was lying in the archives where I had forgotten about it.

[Bibhav Behera]

Abhishek,
Thats the One :)

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Abhishek and Bibhav,
Even though an image may not be really great, it is important to share if the image is that of a species not shared before or if you have some interesting info about the species. It is important to raise the awareness level.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Bhargava Srivari]

A very interesting and informative thread, for someone who doesn't know a bit about insects (me) :)

The details on this look good and so does the eye with catchlight...tfs

[Sagar Patil]

Nice to see this killing bug... Abhishek, I am sure you will get the killing shot with the use of Rostrum.
TFS..