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Message
Is this a kissing bug or an assassin bug?
Posted on 5/18/25 at 4:45 pm
Posted on 5/18/25 at 4:45 pm
I found this beautiful insect while mulching in the garden.
Is it as assassin bug (considered beneficial to the garden) or a kissing bug, which can bite and spreads chagas disease? I tried a Google lens search and can't decide.
Update: ID'd using iNaturalist app
Is it as assassin bug (considered beneficial to the garden) or a kissing bug, which can bite and spreads chagas disease? I tried a Google lens search and can't decide.
Update: ID'd using iNaturalist app
This post was edited on 5/18/25 at 8:49 pm
7
Posted on 5/18/25 at 4:49 pm to Misnomer
Asked ChatGPT.
quote:
The insect in your photo appears to be a rove beetle, likely from the genus Staphylinus or a closely related group. These beetles are recognized by their elongated bodies, short elytra (wing covers) that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed, and often striking coloration.
The specific one in your image looks like it may be a false bombardier beetle (Galerita species) or a closely related ground beetle. The distinctive color pattern, including the bright reddish-brown body and black-and-white banding on the abdomen, is often used for mimicry or warning predators.
They are generally harmless to humans and beneficial as they prey on other insects.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 4:50 pm to Misnomer
My wife says assassin bug, and she thinks kissing and assassin bugs are one in the same.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 6:47 pm to Misnomer
If it's a male it's trying to get anything so it's a Kissing Bug.
Female it's killing the male and all it's hope, so Assassin Bug.
Female it's killing the male and all it's hope, so Assassin Bug.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 6:57 pm to Misnomer
Hard to tell from the pic. It looks like it has a cone shaped "nose", which would make it one of the "kissing bugs". Could be a younger one that isn't fully developed.
Here is one I spotted a couple years ago, the Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose, or Mexican Bedbug, or Kissing bug:
Also, ChatGPT is clearly not good with insects, but a lot of the AI struggles with certain species.
Here is one I spotted a couple years ago, the Eastern Bloodsucking Conenose, or Mexican Bedbug, or Kissing bug:
Also, ChatGPT is clearly not good with insects, but a lot of the AI struggles with certain species.
This post was edited on 5/18/25 at 6:58 pm
Posted on 5/18/25 at 6:59 pm to Nawlens Gator
quote:
she thinks kissing and assassin bugs are one in the same.
They arent really, but some people use the terms interchangeably.
ETA: They're all True Bugs (piercing or sucking mouth parts), but Assassin Bugs feed on whole insects and Kissing Bugs feed on blood, usually from mammals. The Assassin Bugs liquify the innards of its prey and suck it out of their bodies.
This post was edited on 5/18/25 at 7:02 pm
Posted on 5/18/25 at 7:06 pm to LegendInMyMind
quote:
The Assassin Bugs liquify the innards of its prey and suck it out of their bodies.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 7:08 pm to Misnomer
Looks like a big empty dog tick to me, but I’m not a bug guy….haha
Posted on 5/18/25 at 7:12 pm to Spankum
Various Assassin Bugs eating dinner:
The middle one is a very young Pale Green Assassin Bug. They get much bigger and more colorful. The last one is the North American Wheel Bug, North America's largest Assasin Bug.
The middle one is a very young Pale Green Assassin Bug. They get much bigger and more colorful. The last one is the North American Wheel Bug, North America's largest Assasin Bug.
This post was edited on 5/18/25 at 7:14 pm
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:22 pm to LegendInMyMind
I've convinced myself now it is an assassin bug, which is the beneficial type that eats garden pests. The kissing bug is definitely different, although they look similar.
The Pselliopus cinctus looks most like my bug.
Neat
The Pselliopus cinctus looks most like my bug.
Neat
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:24 pm to Misnomer
Try to find some pics of it in earlier instars. They can look a good bit different when they are younger vs what the adults look like.
ETA: I don't know if it is the Ringed Assassin Bug. Those seem to have the rings on their legs at all stages of life, male and female. Yours doesn't seem to have those rings.
ETA: I don't know if it is the Ringed Assassin Bug. Those seem to have the rings on their legs at all stages of life, male and female. Yours doesn't seem to have those rings.
This post was edited on 5/18/25 at 8:28 pm
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:25 pm to Misnomer
Try to kiss it, then try to kill it. Seems easy enough.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:29 pm to LegendInMyMind
I'm about to join one of these Bug ID forums and see what those nerds think
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:29 pm to Misnomer
Try using the iNaturalist app. It works pretty good.
It helped me ID this demon I saw an hour ago on my back patio.
It helped me ID this demon I saw an hour ago on my back patio.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:30 pm to Misnomer
You can download and try the iNaturalist app. It is free and has an AI ID feature as well as a community ID feature. Just create an account, upload your pic, select your location, and compare to the suggestions it gives you. You can then post it and others can help ID it.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:31 pm to ApisMellifera
quote:
It helped me ID this demon I saw an hour ago on my back patio.
Oooo, nice one! Not a demon, probably a help with wood/tree boring pests or other garden pests.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:32 pm to LegendInMyMind
Downloading. Bugs are so cool.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:34 pm to Misnomer
quote:
Bugs are so cool.
Yep! I've been using iNat to ID and track things I see around my place. I'm up to around 540 species over the past almost three years.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:35 pm to LegendInMyMind
quote:
Oooo, nice one! Not a demon, probably a help with wood/tree boring pests or other garden pests.
Yeah, I read up on it and saw the words “harmless to humans” but decided I wasn’t going to test that today.
Posted on 5/18/25 at 8:38 pm to ApisMellifera
quote:
Yeah, I read up on it and saw the words “harmless to humans” but decided I wasn’t going to test that today.
There are so many wasps it will blow your mind. Hell, many still haven't been described, and some probably not even discovered. Without wasps we'd live a very different life, or.....maybe not live at all.
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