''Phymata crassipes'' is a species of assassin and thread-legged bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Phymatinae.

Distribution

This species is widespread in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

. It can be found in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, Central

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

eastward to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, north of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

. It is not present in the north-west of Europe and in the Britain Islands.

Habitat

These bugs inhabit dry biotopes with sufficient sun exposure, especially calcareous grasslands, rocky heaths, south-facing slopes or forest edges.

Description

Adults of ''Phymata crassipes'' can reach a length of about 7–9 mm. The body appear ornamented with some extrusions. Their triangular scutellum is shorter than a pronotum without prominent tubercles. They possess functional wings. They have clubbed antennae and enlarged fore femora and abdomen. The edge of the abdomen expands beyond the edges of the wings. Beautifully camouflaged, they capture their prey using their raptorial fore legs.Natur-in-nrw.de
/ref> The basic body color is dark reddish-brown in males, while females are lighter yellow-brown. Moreover in the males the antennae terminate with a cylindrical joint, thicker and longer than all other segments, while the females antennae are terminated by a more clavate joint, not as long as the preceding ones. This species is rather similar to '' Phymata monstrosa'', present in South West Europe, that shows small bumps on the femora of the median and hind legs.

Biology

This species overwinters as imago or in the larval stage. The overwintering bugs can be found and mate in early spring and the females lay their eggs on plant stems. The larvae can be found in early June. The new adult generation will appear in July. Males, females and larvae when disturbed can produce low-frequency sounds, which can not be heard by humans.Sakis Drosopoulos, Michael F. Claridg
Insect Sounds and Communication: Physiology, Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution
/ref> Both adults and nymphs are predators, by means of their front legs modified to raptor appendages. They usually wait motionless on flowers for their preys, which consist of various insects, other arthropods and spider species. The prey can also be significantly larger than themselves, and bees, for example, can be successfully hunted.

Gallery

Phymata crassipes mating podgorje 2012 01.jpg, Mating Reduviidae - Phymata crassipes.JPG, Female, lateral view Reduviidae - Phymata crassipes-2.jpg, Hunting a wasp Phymata crassipes MHNT.jpg, Mounted specimen - MHNT

Bibliography

*Amyot, C. J. B., and Audinet Serville (1843), Histoire Naturelle des Insectes Hémiptères *Aukema, Berend, and Christian Rieger, eds. (1996), Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region, vol. 2: Cimicomorpha I *Ekkehard Wachmann: Wanzen beobachten – kennenlernen. Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen 1989, . *Frieder Sauer: Sauers Naturführer Wanzen und Zikaden nach Farbfotos erkannt. Fauna, Keltern 1996, .

References

External links

Biolib

EOL
Reduviidae Hemiptera of Europe Insects described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Heteroptera-stub