The wheel bug is a species of assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, native to North America, named for the distinctive cog-like or wheel-shaped crest on its thorax. It is a predator of other insects, including many agricultural pests, which it captures with its forelegs and kills with a piercing, sucking mouthpart called a rostrum. Its bite, delivered in self-defense, is reported to be one of the most painful inflicted by any North American insect.
Facts
Scientific Name Sources
1. Wikipedia: Arilus
Species list sectionQuote, Species list section
Arilus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1763) the North American wheel bug
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