Home
 
 

Red Spiny Assassin Bug - Scipinia arenacea 

Family Reduviidae

This page contains pictures and information about Red Spiny Assassin Bugs that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

Body length 15mm
 
Although this Red Assassin Bug is medium in size, its fore legs is very strong and spiny. The bug is orange-red in colour with black wings. Its legs are orange-red too. There are the strong spines on head and on pronotum.
 
wpe16.jpg (38586 bytes) IMG_0004.jpg (203633 bytes) IMG_0004a.jpg (188657 bytes)
 
The pictures above show the assassin bug feeding a ladybird larva on a Milkweed plant. We found this assassin bug when we were studying ladybird larvae as predator on aphids. Somehow the ladybird larva became the prey. We took those pictures in early spring in a bushland near Macgregor bushland in Brisbane summer Dec 2002. 
 
PWC_3168.jpg (116539 bytes) PWC_3169.jpg (122377 bytes) PWC_3174.jpg (103043 bytes)
 
The second time we found this assassin bug was in Brisbane Botanic Garden Jun 2008. The bug was hunting on citrus tree.
 
PWC_3180.jpg (86817 bytes) PWC_3178.jpg (87680 bytes)
 
It was an active flier. It flied between leaves when we taking those photos.
 
DSC_6038.jpg (151065 bytes) DSC_6042.jpg (165992 bytes) DSC_6038a.jpg (204798 bytes)
 
We found the assassin bug again on May 2010 next to Bulimba Creek near Wishart.
 
Reference:
1. Scipinia horrida - Insects of Taiwan, 2007
2. Scipinia arenacea - lifeseen.com, by Nick Monaghan. 

Back to top

[ Up ] [ Small Red Assassin Bug ] [ Ants Killer Assassin Bug ] [ Red Spiny Assassin Bug ] [ Brown Spiny Assassin Bug ] [ Orange Assassin Bug ] [ Large Orange Assassin Bug ] [ Red Tiger Assassin Bug ] [ Long Assassin Bug ] [ Common Assassin Bug ]

                                                 
See us in our Home page. Download large pictures in our Wallpaper web page. Give us comments in our Guest Book, or send email to us. A great way to support us is to buy the CD from us.  
Last updated: August 15, 2010.