Melanolestes picipes

[Hisserdude]

Got a pair of these from a trade with Mastigoproctus on AB, (AKA Micheal Dixon, the owner of Mike's House of A Thousand Legs), and they are very nice! I love the red bordering on these guys, hopefully I will be able to breed them!

Male:

Female:

 

[MassExodus]

Do those happen to have a long spike on their face, that folds out? They look very familiar.

 

[Hisserdude]

Do those happen to have a long spike on their face, that folds out? They look very familiar.

Yes they do have a proboscis. Perhaps you are thinking of some other assassin bug, Platymeris perhaps?

 

[MassExodus]

Yes they do have a proboscis. Perhaps you are thinking of some other assassin bug, Platymeris perhaps?

Yeah, it was in my boot. It stuck that thing deep right through the front of my little toe just under the nail. It was about ten times worse then a C vittatus sting. Makes me angry just thinking about it..lmao. They are cool though.

 

[Hisserdude]

Yeah, it was in my boot. It stuck that thing deep right through the front of my little toe just under the nail. It was about ten times worse then a C vittatus sting. Makes me angry just thinking about it..lmao. They are cool though.

Yeah they got venom, and if threatened they will use it lol! Now you got to get some assassin bugs, to overcome your anger towards them, or at least you can use that as your excuse, lol!

 

[MassExodus]

Hurt like a bastard. My toe was sore(lol) for 2 days after it got me. Is it common to find them under a sink? I replaced the P trap in my bathroom and there were 4 of them under there. Theres a small gap where the drain goes through the floor, I'm sure they came in there. I just ignored them. Kind of surprised me though, to find that many, under my sink with the dog shampoo and extra soap..

 

[Hisserdude]

Hurt like a bastard. My toe was sore(lol) for 2 days after it got me. Is it common to find them under a sink? I replaced the P trap in my bathroom and there were 4 of them under there. Theres a small gap where the drain goes through the floor, I'm sure they came in there. I just ignored them. Kind of surprised me though, to find that many, under my sink with the dog shampoo and extra soap..

Interesting, most assassin bugs are not commonly found in homes, however it sounds like you have some Reduvius personatus, see here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/11385 These guys are commonly found in homes, and eat bed bugs, roaches, and whatever they can grab a hold of. Their nymphs are sticky, and cover themselves in lint and dust as camouflage. They are really cool assassins, you should try keeping some!

 

[MassExodus]

Lol, leave it to the Dude to id them in one guess. That's them. My local variety have spots on the wings, but that's them

 

[Hisserdude]

Lol, leave it to the Dude to id them in one guess. That's them. My local variety have spots on the wings, but that's them

Haha I try my best! Interesting, got any pics of yours?

 

[MassExodus]

No, and I just looked, on the off chance there was one under there They moved on I guess. Or they're in all my shoes, hiding, lmao. I see them outside too, ill get a few pics next time.

 

[Hisserdude]

No, and I just looked, on the off chance there was one under there They moved on I guess. Or they're in all my shoes, hiding, lmao. I see them outside too, ill get a few pics next time.

Haha you better start shaking your shoes out now! Cool, looking forward to those pics!

 

[Entity]

@Hisserdude they r cool! assasin bugs r on my list! congrats

 

[Hisserdude]

@Hisserdude they r cool! assasin bugs r on my list! congrats

Yeah they are pretty awesome, thanks!

 

[VanessaS]

Interesting, most assassin bugs are not commonly found in homes, however it sounds like you have some Reduvius personatus, see here: http://bugguide.net/node/view/11385 These guys are commonly found in homes, and eat bed bugs, roaches, and whatever they can grab a hold of. Their nymphs are sticky, and cover themselves in lint and dust as camouflage. They are really cool assassins, you should try keeping some!

I have taken a couple of the nymphs out of my apartment. I think they are awesome! I have to find the photo I took of them all covered in dust. I am just extra careful with them because their bite is very nasty.
A lot of people mistake the leaf-footed bug for an assassin bug, but they are completely harmless. I love those guys too and I find a lot of them in my apartment come the fall when they look for a warm spot for the winter.

 

[Entity]

Easy to mis-ID i think. squash bugs look similiar too....like a stink bug on steroids.

 

[Hisserdude]

I have taken a couple of the nymphs out of my apartment. I think they are awesome! I have to find the photo I took of them all covered in dust. I am just extra careful with them because their bite is very nasty.
A lot of people mistake the leaf-footed bug for an assassin bug, but they are completely harmless. I love those guys too and I find a lot of them in my apartment come the fall when they look for a warm spot for the winter.

Very cool, do show some pics if you can get some! Yeah many people get leaf-footed bugs and assassins confused, they can look similar.

My M.picipes male died, however my female has been busy laying eggs, I will have to show some pics of them!

 

[VanessaS]

I knew what he was, so I kept him in a glass. He was probably hanging around under the fridge where there's lots of dust and cat hair...

One of my lovely leaf footed guys...

And this is a spotted pine borer. They only eat dead or dying trees, so they are very beneficial to our ecosystems - unlike the Asian Long-Horn beetle that attacks live trees.

And the dreaded house centipede - who is actually a good friend to us in that they devour bed bugs and ****roaches like nothing else...

I'm such a bug nerd.

 

[MassExodus]

I knew what he was, so I kept him in a glass. He was probably hanging around under the fridge where there's lots of dust and cat hair...
View attachment 16426


View attachment 16427

One of my lovely leaf footed guys...

View attachment 16428

View attachment 16429

And this is a spotted pine borer. They only eat dead or dying trees, so they are very beneficial to our ecosystems - unlike the Asian Long-Horn beetle that attacks live trees.
View attachment 16430

And the dreaded house centipede - who is actually a good friend to us in that they devour bed bugs and ****roaches like nothing else...

View attachment 16431
View attachment 16432

I'm such a bug nerd.

Fantastic pics! More!

 

[MassExodus]

Why did I immediately want to pick up the house centipede? I've never seen one of those..wicked! I must have one..

 

[Kymura]

First time I saw a centipede I actually wanted!