Assassin Bugs

[Olympusman]

Almost through my bottles of insects from the summer. These are two different specimens of the Blood-sucking Conenose Assassin Bug, genus Triatoma.

Dorsal view 110 shots in Zerene Stacker Swift 4X 0.10 160/.17



Ventral view 126 shots in Zerene Stacker



The structure running up and down in the center is the bugs "beak" which folds under the head into a groove. If you get bit by one of these bugs, you will know it.

[Jacek]

I'm scared of your insect

[Olympusman]

The Triatoma blood-suckers are native to North America. Their body length is about one-inch. I have read that their sensors are keyed to carbon dioxide. Fortunately, they are very slow-moving. Like many insects, they invade our houses in cooler weather. here is a stacked shot from my exhibit "More Than Meets the Eye" a few years back.

[carlos.uruguay]

Impressive!