Identification
• Assassin bugs have wide abdomens, narrow, long heads, and the area behind the eyes is necklike.
• Some species have a wheel of spines on the back (thorax).
• Assassin bugs are larger, more robust than nabids, and have much larger mouthparts.

Host Range
• They are predators on a wide range of insects.

Life cycle
• The nymphs are similar to adults (incomplete metamorphosis). Their wings develop gradually.
• All stages feed by jabbing their prey with sucking mouthparts, injecting an enzyme that digests the body contents of the prey, and sucking the predigested fluid from the prey.

Other information
• Some species are blood-suckers and can deliver a painful bite.