Zelus longipes

Zelus longipes
	Zelus longipes
Systematics
Family :	Predatory bugs (Reduviidae)
Subfamily :	Harpactorinae
Tribe :	Harpactorini
Genre :	Zelus
Genre :	Zelus
Type :	Zelus longipes
Scientific name
	Zelus longipes
	( Linnaeus , 1767)

Nymph of Zelus longipes

Zelus (Zelus) longipes is a species of bug from the family of predatory bugs (Reduviidae).

features

The bugs are 14.5 to 20 millimeters long, with the females being larger than their male counterparts. The bugs found in the United States are orange-black in color. In other regions, such as the Caribbean, the species has different colorations: orange-brown, brown-black, or completely black. Zelus longipes can be distinguished from other species of the genus Zelus on the basis of the following morphological features: The sides of the pronotum are rounded. The underside of the bugs varies between brown-red and brown-black. The paramers are cylindrical and long.

distribution

The species occurs in the Nearctic and Neotropical . It is common in the southern United States (southern Atlantic coast, Gulf coast, Arizona, California). The distribution area also includes Central America, the West Indies and South America with the exception of Chile.

Way of life

The bugs are considered to be important beneficial insects . They predatorily feed on various arthropods , some of which are considered to be agricultural pests . Their prey includes butterfly larvae such as Spodoptera frugiperda and Uresiphita reversalis or aphids such as Diaphorina citri . The nymphs go through five stages to become an adult bug. Usually the adult bedbugs hibernate.

etymology

The name addition longipes is derived from Latin and means "long-legged". In English, the bugs are also called Milkweed Assassin Bugs . Milkweed is the English name for silk plants ( Ascelepias ).

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Species Zelus longipes - Milkweed Assassin Bug . bugguide.net. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Featured Creatures: Zelus longipes . University of Florida, IFAS, Entomology & Nematology. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Zelus longipes - collection of images, videos and audio files

Zelus longipes in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

[bugguide-1] Species Zelus longipes - Milkweed Assassin Bug . bugguide.net. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

[fla-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Featured Creatures: Zelus longipes . University of Florida, IFAS, Entomology & Nematology. Retrieved January 31, 2017.