Bee Assassin Bug vs Lipothrix Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bee Assassin Bug Lipothrix Springtail
Scientific Name Apiomerus flaviventris Lipothrix lubbocki
Order Hemiptera Collembola
Family Reduviidae Sminthuridae
Size 12-18 mm 0.5-1.0 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru) Europe
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Bee Assassin Bug

A brightly colored assassin bug with a red and black body and a yellow underside. It specializes in ambushing bees and other flower-visiting insects by coating its forelegs with sticky plant resin. It is commonly found perched on flowers waiting for prey.

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Did You Know?

It applies sticky plant resin to its forelegs as a natural glue trap, an extremely rare example of tool use in insects.

Lipothrix Springtail

A tiny globular springtail found on vegetation and leaf litter surfaces. It has a compact round body typical of the family Sminthuridae.

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Did You Know?

Males of this species deposit sperm packets on stalks and perform elaborate courtship dances to guide females to them.