4/6/17
This is from another day studying at the table I like so much by the Wet Pond. This little orange guy is on my friend’s hand. I loved the way he walked. I wish I could post it as a video, but the way his legs moved was so interesting. This guy was identified as a juvenile assassin bug. For something so small, the name “assassin” is almost laughable. I also had no idea what an assassin bug was. I was surprised to learn they get the name “assassin” from being a part of the Reduviidae family. This family of bugs is almost exclusively predatory. They are blood-sucking ectoparasites, which means they live outside the skin. I soon realized these folks are not to be messed with. Adults can bite humans, usually near the lips, which is why they are also known as kissing bugs.
iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5593690