Bee Assassin Bug? (I don't know if it is the right subspecies
Name the Insect or Spider
- Lisbeth
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
I cannot find one that has flowers as friends 
Bee Assassin Bug? (I don't know if it is the right subspecies
)
Bee Assassin Bug? (I don't know if it is the right subspecies
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
Re: Name the Insect or Spider
It's in the same Family as assassin bugs, but in a different Subfamily (like your Vampire Bug) - hint: Phymatinae
But your answers are all very very good!
But your answers are all very very good!
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Klipspringer
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
They love flowers because they wait in ambush for flower-visiting prey 
Re: Name the Insect or Spider
Klipspringer wrote: ↑Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:12 pm They love flowers because they wait in ambush for flower-visiting prey![]()
Re: Name the Insect or Spider
My common name comes from my behavior.
Flowers are my friends.
Patience is one of my virtues.
Once you get to know me better, I might seem rather ghoulish.
Answer: Ambush Bugs

Ambush bugs are placed in the assassin bug family, Reduviidae, because they are predatory and have three-segmented beaks, but belong in the subfamily Phymatinae. They share many traits with assassin bugs, but can be separated by their hooked forelegs with greatly widened femur sections; clubbed antennae; and widened back portion of the abdomen (so wide that it usually extends outward beyond what the folded wings cover). Most species have jagged body contours, disrupting the outlines of their bodies against the textured background of flowerheads.
Ambush Bugs truly live up to their name, waiting patiently for unsuspecting insects to get just close enough to become lunch. They can sit still for hours while waiting for a meal to approach. When prey approaches closely enough, the ambush bug grasps it with its front legs. The upper section (tibia) of each foreleg has teethlike structures that mesh into similar structures on the lower, greatly thickened leg section (femur). A sharp beak is jabbed into the victim and its insides are sucked out.

Even though the ambush bug is small (usually less than 12 mm, or 0.5 inch), its prey may be as large as a bumblebee, wasp, or butterfly.

Males are physically smaller than females and can often be seen riding on their mate's back. Females will lay bunches of fertilized eggs on plant stems and cover them in a frothy coating, which may offer protection from desiccation as well as predation.

Look for Ambush Bugs in the center or perimeter of yellow flowers like Black-Eyed Susans and sunflowers. White daisies and colorful asters are also popular blossoms for this insect.
(The pics are from Florida, but here’s one from South Africa):

(RedeiJindra2013Doesburgellagennov.pdf)
Flowers are my friends.
Patience is one of my virtues.
Once you get to know me better, I might seem rather ghoulish.
Answer: Ambush Bugs

Ambush bugs are placed in the assassin bug family, Reduviidae, because they are predatory and have three-segmented beaks, but belong in the subfamily Phymatinae. They share many traits with assassin bugs, but can be separated by their hooked forelegs with greatly widened femur sections; clubbed antennae; and widened back portion of the abdomen (so wide that it usually extends outward beyond what the folded wings cover). Most species have jagged body contours, disrupting the outlines of their bodies against the textured background of flowerheads.
Ambush Bugs truly live up to their name, waiting patiently for unsuspecting insects to get just close enough to become lunch. They can sit still for hours while waiting for a meal to approach. When prey approaches closely enough, the ambush bug grasps it with its front legs. The upper section (tibia) of each foreleg has teethlike structures that mesh into similar structures on the lower, greatly thickened leg section (femur). A sharp beak is jabbed into the victim and its insides are sucked out.

Even though the ambush bug is small (usually less than 12 mm, or 0.5 inch), its prey may be as large as a bumblebee, wasp, or butterfly.

Males are physically smaller than females and can often be seen riding on their mate's back. Females will lay bunches of fertilized eggs on plant stems and cover them in a frothy coating, which may offer protection from desiccation as well as predation.

Look for Ambush Bugs in the center or perimeter of yellow flowers like Black-Eyed Susans and sunflowers. White daisies and colorful asters are also popular blossoms for this insect.
(The pics are from Florida, but here’s one from South Africa):

(RedeiJindra2013Doesburgellagennov.pdf)
- Richprins
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
What disgusting ghouls, as you say!
Good one, Ex!
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- Lisbeth
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
Every time I get " close" to an insect or a spider the wonder of evolution/nature overwhelms me

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Klipspringer
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- Richprins
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
Ok I'll do one!
I'm a great inventor, copied by humans!
My fresh habitat of choice is REALLY not what one would expect in my family, very specialised.
My sometime menu neither!
Parachutes play a role again...
I'm a great inventor, copied by humans!
My fresh habitat of choice is REALLY not what one would expect in my family, very specialised.
My sometime menu neither!
Parachutes play a role again...
Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
- Lisbeth
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Re: Name the Insect or Spider
Living in water? 
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge