Bee Assassin Bug vs Western Fishfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bee Assassin Bug Western Fishfly
Scientific Name Apiomerus flaviventris Neohermes filicornis
Order Hemiptera Megaloptera
Family Reduviidae Corydalidae
Size 12-18 mm 40-55 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Rivers & Streams
Diet Predators Predators
Regions South America (Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru) Western North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Western Fishfly

A western North American fishfly with feathery antennae and brownish wings. Adults are attracted to lights near streams where their larvae develop.

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Did You Know?

Fishflies are distinguished from dobsonflies by their feathery antennae and lack of massive mandibles in males.