Insects in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Phymatinae are commonly called ambush bugs after their habit of lying in wait for prey, relying on their superb

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

. Armed with

raptorial The term ''raptorial'' implies much the same as ''predatory'' but most often refers to modifications of an arthropod's foreleg that make it function for the grasping of prey while it is consumed, where the gripping surfaces are formed from the o ...

forelegs, ambush bugs routinely capture prey ten or more times their own size. They form a subgroup within the

assassin bugs The Reduviidae are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators: most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main example ...

Description

Phymatinae are long. The most distinguishable trait of this group is the presence of pronounced raptorial forelegs. In ''

Phymata ''Phymata'' is a genus of assassin bugs belonging to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Phymatinae Insects in the subfamily Phymatinae are commonly called ambush bugs after their habit of lying in wait for prey, relying on their superb camoufl ...

'', the scutellum is triangular and shorter than the

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

. In ''

Macrocephalus ''Macrocephalus'' is a genus of ambush bugs in the family Reduviidae The Reduviidae are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambus ...

'', the scutellum is narrow and rounded, extending to the tip of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

. Phymatinae normally have a large fore

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

and clubbed antennae. The

forewing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwin ...

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. B ...

s sometimes lack distinct

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

s. The antennae have four segments. There are two

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

. The

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food ...

has three segments. The tarsi also have three segments. The rear half of the

expands beyond the edges of the wings. Compared to classic assassin bugs, ambush bugs are shorter, stouter, more colorful, and have larger heads in proportion to their bodies. It is hypothesized that the coloration of these insects is an adaptation to allow them to camouflage within their environment, specifically an evolutionary effort to blend in with the flowers of their host plant. Ambush bugs can be found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions all over the world, excluding Australia and New Zealand.

Etymology

The name Phymatinae is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''phymata'', meaning "swollen", which presumably refers to the enlarged abdomen and femora.

Taxonomy

Ambush bugs are insects in the order Hemiptera, or "

true bugs Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from to aroun ...

." They occupy the family Reduviidae, and form the subfamily Phymatinae. This subfamily was often given family-level status and this classification is still used in some textbooks. Based on cladistic analyses, however, ambush bugs (Phymatinae) are a type of assassin bug (

Reduviidae The Reduviidae are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators: most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main exampl ...

). Approximately 300 species have been documented, and they are a sister group of the

Holoptilinae The Holoptilinae are a subfamily of Reduviidae (assassin bugs) known as feather-legged bugs or ant wolves. Several members of the subfamily specialize on ants. About 16 genera (one fossil) are known, with about 80 species described. Species in ...

. The genera of ambush bugs are separated into four tribes, but this separation is based purely on phenotypic similarities rather than molecular data. The exact relationships between different groups of Phymatinae are understudied, and there are likely species yet to be discovered. The Phymatinae are currently separated into the following genera: Phymatinae_Blr

*'' Amblythyreus'' *''

Lophoscutus ''Lophoscutus'' is a genus of ambush bugs in the family Reduviidae. There are more than 60 described species in ''Lophoscutus''. Species These 61 species belong to the genus ''Lophoscutus'': * ''Lophoscutus acunai'' (Bruner, 1946) * ''Lophoscut ...

'' Kormilev, 1951 *''

'' Swederus, 1787 *''

'' Latreille, 1802 *'' Themonocoris'' *''Glossopelta'' *'' Carcinocoris'' *''Chelocoris'' *''Microtomus'' *''Neocentrocnemis'' *''Ptilocnemus'' *''Agdistocoris'' *''Agreuocoris'' *''Bakerinia'' *''Cnizocoris'' *''Diurocoris'' *''Eurymnus'' *''Extraneza'' *''Goellneriana'' *''Hoberlandtiana'' *''Kormilevida'' *''Metagreuocoris'' *''Narina'' *''

Oxythyreus ''Oxythyreus'' is a genus of ambush bugs. Species in this genus are known only from southern Africa. Species include: * ''Oxythyreus slateri'' Doesburg & Pluot-Sigwalt, 2007 * ''Oxythyreus ruckesi'' Kormilev, 1962 * ''Oxythyreus cylindricornis ...

'' *''Parabotha'' *''Paragreuocoris''

Behavior

Ambush bugs occupy a similar niche to that of the

crab spider The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of th ...

, camouflaged with their host plant and lying in wait for pollinators and other invertebrate prey to come within range. These hemipterans often attack prey many times larger than themselves, which they subdue with an immobilizing venom.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3436499 Reduviidae Hemiptera subfamilies