By special request, this week's image is of an assassin bug (Heteroptera: Reduviidae). These common insects are usually predatory and often use their powerful forelegs to catch prey. The innards are then sucked out with a proboscis that is held at rest underneath the bug's body. The base of it can be seen on the underside of the head in this specimen. A few species in this family are blood feeding, and the pathogenic trypanosome that causes the incurable Chaga's disease is spread by one such insect, the Blood Sucking Conenose (Rhodnius prolixus). This species has also been used extensively to study molting and the physiology of insects.
Happy Weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment