Assassin Bugs and Thread-Legged Bugs

Family Reduviidae

Masked hunter (Reduvius personatus). Photo:Stephanie Boucher

Assassin bugs are predators that sit and ambush their prey. A few species are bloodsucking and will bite humans. One species in tropical parts of South and Central America serves as a vector for Chagas' disease. This species commonly bites people around the mouth while they are sleeping; for this reason it is often referred to as the kissing bug. Assassin bugs have an elongate head with the part behind the eyes long and neck-like. The beak is short and fits into a groove on the underside of the thorax. Many species are black or brown but there is a lot of variety in colour and shape. The abdomen is widened in the middle and visible from above out to the sides of the wings.