Emesini
Amyot & Serville, 1843
thread-legged bugs
Genus Guides
5- Emesa(thread-legged bugs)
- Gardena(thread-legged bug)
- Phasmatocoris
- Stenolemoides
- Stenolemus(Spider Assassin Bugs)
Emesini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs (Reduviidae: Emesinae) characterized by extremely slender bodies and elongated legs. The tribe contains multiple distributed worldwide, with some exhibiting specialized cave-dwelling habits. Members of this tribe include both surface-dwelling and cavernicolous species, with documented arachnophilous in several .
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Emesini: /ɛmɛˈsiːniː/
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Identification
Extremely slender, thread-like body with disproportionately long, thin legs; forelegs adapted for grasping prey. Cavernicolous such as Phasmatocoris labyrinthicus lack obvious troglomorphic features (no reduction or pigment loss) despite cave .
Images
Habitat
Diverse including surface environments and caves. Cavernicolous occupy limestone caverns and sandstone caves; some are low-humidity intolerant, effectively confined to humid cave microhabitats in otherwise arid regions.
Distribution
Worldwide. Cavernicolous recorded from caves across multiple continents including North America (Arizona, USA), Brazil, India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Phasmatocoris, primarily a Neotropical , has its first Nearctic record in Arizona with geographically nearest relative in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Diet
Arachnids; arachnophilous feeding has been documented.
Host Associations
- Arachnida - preyarachnophilous feeding
Behavior
Arachnophily (spider-associated predatory ). Phasmatocoris labyrinthicus exhibits morphological and behavioral functionality as an arachnophile, unique among troglophilic emesines.
Ecological Role
of arachnids in cave .