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Fletcher Wildlife Garden | all galleries >> True Bugs (Hemiptera) of the FWG (18 Galleries) >> Ambush Bugs (Family: Reduviidae, Subfamily: Phymatinae) > Ambush bugs (Phymata)
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19-JUL-2012 Christine Hanrahan

Ambush bugs (Phymata)

These ambush bugs were on a goldenrod. This species is abundant around here at present. I find that once queen anne's lace blooms these bugs become very noticeable. The flowerhead provides them a good place to hide as they can sit below the flower head waiting for insects to land. But they are also common on goldenrod where their yellowish colouration blends in well with the yellow flowers. These bugs are not mating, because when an ambush bug pair mate, the male sits sideways to the female. This pose is sometimes called coupling, and you might see several males riding on the back of the much larger female. Why? Speculation is that it may help them catch bigger prey items.

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
1/640s f/3.2 at 5.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time19-Jul-2012 11:01:03
MakeCanon
ModelCanon PowerShot SX20 IS
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length5 mm
Exposure Time1/625 sec
Aperturef/3.2
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Mode
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program
Focus Distance0.110 m

other sizes: small medium large original auto
Marcia Colelli26-Jul-2012 23:52
Great capture. Wonderful details V
Fletcher Wildlife Garden25-Jul-2012 16:36
In reply to Steve's query: There is a fair degree of variation in the colour and size of these bugs. I've seen mating pairs where the male is tiny and others where he is almost the size of the female. Here, the bug riding on top is actually smaller, though it does not show well, and the back was slightly darker. But I've seen males that are quite green as well as nearly black. (Christine)
Yiannis Pavlis25-Jul-2012 13:53
You have captured this beautifully.Great work in every way.
steve 25-Jul-2012 11:08
I thought that males were always half black and smaller? Could these both be females?
Ali Majdfar20-Jul-2012 05:43
Wow! Great capture! ~V
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