Amazon - Assassin Bug / Strange White Moth

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 6:41 pm

Orange assassin...

Little white moth...

Mike B in OKlahoma · Post by **Mike B in OKlahoma** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:30 pm

Neat little assassin bug. Has the look of a juvenile, somehow.

Gordon C. Snelling · Post by **Gordon C. Snelling** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:50 pm

I agree the assassin looks like a nymph, the "moth" loks like it may be something like a woolly aphid.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 5:26 am

Both pictures are super Craig. The colors and focus on the first one are eyepopping. The second one does look a little strange. Would be nice to see its head (cicada popped into my head for a second) but it does look like a moth

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:51 am

Thanks guys.

I believe the assassin is a nymph also. We saw several down there that seemed to be of a little bigger size with the undeveloped wings / juvenile look to them.

Gordon & Doug - I struggled with the categorization of the 2nd one due to his strangeness and labeled him moth feeling a little uncertain about it. The head / body almost seem like they belong to something else & the furry edge of his wings is very unique.

We need that comprehensive guide to the insects of the Amazon again.

Planapo · Post by **Planapo** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:52 am

Craig, nice shots. Thanks for sharing.

To the "moth" on your second photo:
To my knowledge in aphids (O. Sternorrhyncha: Aphidomorpha) wing venation is more reduced. Hence I´d say the "moth" is a cicada (O. Auchenorrhyncha) what has already popped into Doug´s mind.

I also thought of Sternorrhyncha: Psyllomorpha but because of the short antenna and the wing venation (though critical parts are a bit blurred and not visible) I tend more to say Auchenorrhyncha.

Craig, next time you meet this fella down there please ask him to turn over and take a portrait of his ventral side and a highly magnified shot of his feet that allows counting his tarsal limbs.

Cheers,
Betty

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:16 am

Very neat shot of the assassin bug,i never realised they had red eyes!

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:46 pm

Thanks Betty. I searched throughout my pics for another specimen that had his feet showing, but could not find one.

I did find this one, however, that shows a head on view as Doug requested. I'm not sure if it helps narrow things down or not, though. The eyes of all the cicadas I could find seem to be further apart almost on opposite sides of the head, whereas this one seems to have them close together on the front of his face.

What do you think?

Planapo · Post by **Planapo** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:42 am

Craig, now the position of the insertion of the proboscis and the position of the coxae of the mesothorax are visible and these traits corroborate that it´s Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadomorpha.

The darker coloured structures positioned closer to one another should be the proximate limbs of the antennae.
The eyes are the structures of lighter colour and more roundish almost hemispheric shape. They are positioned more dorsally from those darker antennal bases and more apart from one another. Can you see ´em now?

Cheers,
Betty

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:17 am

That is one unusaul Cicada, never seen one like that before. Well at least of photograph of one that is. Quite a beautiful and unsual species.

crotermund · Post by **crotermund** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:35 am

Thank you, Betty. I can definitely see the eyes now. I zoomed in at home too. As Ken mentioned, this certainly is an unusual cicada. I'm glad we were able to come up with some clearly identifying traits.