''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent habit of sitting and waiting upon flowers and taking

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s as prey. The bright colors are aposematic, likely a warning to larger predators that a painful bite can be delivered. Many species of this genus have a sticky resin pad located on their dorsal abdomen. The resin is thought to be derived from plant material and may play a role in defending eggs from predation, especially by ants. The genus consists of about 110 described species.Schuh and Slater 1995

Species in the genus include: *''

Apiomerus californicus ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011 *'' Apiomerus cazieri'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011 *''

Apiomerus cooremani ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Costa Lima, Campos Seabra & Hathaway, 1951 *'' Apiomerus crassipes'' (Fabricius, 1803) *'' Apiomerus flaviventris'' Herrich-Schaeffer, 1846 *''

Apiomerus floridensis ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011 *''

Apiomerus hirtipes ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical Americas, America. The common name bee assassins derives from their fr ...

'' (Fabricius, 1787) *''

Apiomerus immundus ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Bergroth, 1898 *'' Apiomerus longispinis'' Champion, 1899 *''

Apiomerus moestus ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Stål, 1862 *'' Apiomerus montanus'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011 *''

Apiomerus peninsularis ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011 *''

Apiomerus pictipes ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Herrich-Schaeffer, 1846 *''

Apiomerus pilipes The bee assassin, ''Apiomerus pilipes'', is an insect that feeds on bees. It is found in South America and reported from Venezuela, Colombia, French Guiana, and Brazil. Like other members of the genus, females of this species have well-developed ...

'' Fabricius, 1787 *''

Apiomerus repletus ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Uhler, 1876 *''

Apiomerus rufipennis ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' (Fallou, 1889) *''

Apiomerus spissipes ''Apiomerus spissipes'' is a species of assassin bug in the family Reduviidae. It is found in Central America and North America. References Further reading * External links * spissipes Articles created by Qbugbot Insects describ ...

'' (Say, 1825) *''

Apiomerus subpiceus ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Stål, 1862 *''

Apiomerus wygodzinskyi ''Apiomerus'' is a genus of conspicuous, brightly colored assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae. The species can be found in the United States ranging into tropical America. The common name bee assassins derives from their frequent h ...

'' Berniker & Szerlip, 2011

References

*Schuh, R.T. & Slater, J. A. 1995. True bugs of the world (Hemiptera: Heteroptera): classification and natural history. New York, Cornell University Press, 336p.

External links

Bugguide hosted by Iowa State University Entomology

Research of ''Apiomerus'' Systematics at UC Riverside
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110726225254/http://nature.berkeley.edu/~dchoe003/index4.htm Reduviidae Cimicomorpha genera Insects of Central America {{Cimicomorpha-stub