Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Predominantly predatory, using their short, curved rostrum to pierce and suck the internal fluids of other insects and small terrestrial arthropods.

• Species of Pselliopus prey on a variety of small insects, including soft-bodied insects and insect larvae, making them potentially useful predators of agricultural and garden pests.

• Nymphs are also active predators and hunt among low vegetation, leaf litter and other sheltered areas.

Range

• Pselliopus is a genus of assassin bugs (Family Reduviidae) in the Subfamily Harpactorinae and Tribe Harpactorini.

• It is an exclusively American genus, with species distributed from Canada and the United States through Mexico and Central America to South America, including Argentina and Brazil.

• Around Zihua, Pselliopus would likely be considered occasional to locally common, depending on species and the availability of suitable vegetation and insect prey.

Habitat

• Occurs in forests, tropical dry forest, woodland, scrub, forest margins, agricultural areas and other habitats with abundant vegetation and insect prey.

• Mexican species are commonly encountered on low vegetation, in leaf litter and around fallen or decaying vegetation, and adults can be particularly active in sunny areas.

• Around Zihua, look for Pselliopus on shrubs, grasses, herbaceous plants and low branches, especially along forest edges, trails, gardens and areas of relatively undisturbed vegetation.

• Their predatory lifestyle makes them particularly likely to occur where other insects are abundant, including flowering vegetation and areas supporting diverse insect communities.

Size

• Adults are generally medium-sized assassin bugs, although body size varies among the many species in the genus.

• The body is typically elongated and relatively slender, with long legs and antennae characteristic of Harpactorinae.

• Many species have striking contrasting colour patterns, often combining reddish, orange, yellow, black or brown areas.