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
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleAgricultural or Structural Pest 2 Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Wheel Bug
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikidata: Wheel Bug
- Wikidata Q15707964, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Wikipedia 'Arilus': Arilus is a generalist predator of insects
- Child Taxon Of: Assassin Bug, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q768510 (Assassin Bug)
View the Source2. Wikipedia: Arilus
Species list section
Arilus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1763) the North American wheel bug
- true bugs found in the Americas
View the SourceIUCN Red List of Threatened Species
GBIF Species API
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