Diet

• Adults and nymphs: Predatory, feeding primarily on other insects and other small arthropods.

• Repipta species are ambush predators, typically waiting motionless on vegetation before seizing passing prey with their stout, piercing-sucking rostrum.

• The prey is pierced with the rostrum and immobilised with saliva, after which the assassin bug sucks out the liquefied internal contents.

Range

• Repipta taurus belongs to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Harpactorinae, tribe Harpactorini, and genus Repipta.

• It is a primarily Neotropical species, with a range extending from the southeastern United States through Mexico and Central America to Panama.

• Around Zihua, it would likely be considered occasional to locally common, particularly in areas with suitable vegetation and abundant insect prey.

Habitat

• Found in woodland, tropical and subtropical forest, dry forest, scrub, forest edges and other areas with abundant vegetation.

• As an ambush predator, it is particularly associated with vegetation that provides good perches from which to intercept flying or crawling insects.

• Around Zihua, suitable habitat would include tropical dry forest, thorn scrub, gardens, roadside vegetation, forest margins and other relatively open vegetated areas.

Size

• Adults are approximately 11–13 mm long.

• R. taurus is a moderately sized, slender assassin bug with relatively long legs and antennae.

• It is especially recognisable by its reddish coloration combined with prominent spines on the thorax, giving it the distinctive “red bull” appearance.