Egg Guarding by Male Assassin Bugs of the Genus Zelus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

A taxonomic monograph of the assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): 71 species based on 10,000 specimens

The New World assassin bug genus Zelus Fabricius, 1803 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae: Harpactorini) is revised based on more than 10,000 specimens. Seventy-one species are recognized and twenty-four described as new: Zelus aithaleos sp. n., Zelus amblycephalus sp. n., Zelus antiguensis sp. n., Zelus auralanus sp. n., Zelus bahiaensis sp. n., Zelus banksi sp. n., Ze...

Toxic associations: A review of the predatory behaviors of millipede assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae)

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are a diverse group of arthropods that include 16 orders represented by approximately 12,000 species in 145 families (Sierwald & Bond, 2007). In 11 of these orders, millipedes are protected from predators by chemical defenses produced in glands that vary in number among orders and are located laterally or mid-dorsally in the diplosegments (Eisner et al., 1978; Hopkin & Re...

Evolutionary History of Assassin Bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights from Divergence Dating and Ancestral State Reconstruction

Assassin bugs are one of the most successful clades of predatory animals based on their species numbers (∼6,800 spp.) and wide distribution in terrestrial ecosystems. Various novel prey capture strategies and remarkable prey specializations contribute to their appeal as a model to study evolutionary pathways involved in predation. Here, we reconstruct the most comprehensive reduviid phylogeny (...

A taxonomic review of the polymorphic assassin bug genus Rihirbus Stål (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae).

Two species in the genus Rihirbus Stål are recognized, redescribed and illustrated. The diagnosis of the genus is slightly modified. The deposition information of Miller's type specimens is corrected. Rihirbus trochantericus Stål is newly recorded from Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. A key for the identification of species of Rihirbus is provided. The sexual dimorphism and polymor...

Trypanosomatidae isolated from Zelus leucogrammus (Perty, 1834) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), with a discussion on flagellates of insectivorous bugs.