Apiomerus crassipes

Distinguished from the closely related Apiomerus spissipes by generally darker coloration; A. spissipes is paler with more prominent markings and occupies the Great Plains, while A. crassipes occurs further east. Fore tibiae with sticky resin coating is characteristic of the genus. Combination of dark body with yellow or red lateral abdominal markings and association with flowering vegetation aids field identification.

Adults are approximately 19 mm (3/4 inch) in length. Body is usually dark in color with yellow or red markings on the sides of the abdomen. Fore tibiae are coated with a sticky resin to aid in prey capture. The species exhibits intraspecific polychromatism with discrete color morphs.

Found on vegetation, particularly flowering plants. Adults occur on vegetation in spring after overwintering. Eggs are cemented to plant stems.

Eastern North America; occurs throughout North America per historical records but more precisely distributed in eastern regions where it replaces the western A. spissipes. GBIF records confirm presence in North America and Middle America.

Adults active in spring on vegetation; adults overwinter. First instars emerge from egg masses; nymphs progress through five instars.

Generalist predator of soft-bodied insects. Documented prey includes bees, ants, and beetles such as Batyle ignicollis. Attracted to cerambycid beetle pheromones, suggesting exploitation of beetle aggregation sites for foraging.

Eggs laid in compact masses averaging 69.6 eggs, cemented to plant stems with clear cementing material. Five nymphal instars precede adulthood. First instars cannot capture prey without a substrate; later instars and adults are active predators. Adults overwinter.

Maternal care of eggs has been observed. Stalks flowering plants visited by pollinating insects, ambushing prey from concealed positions such as beneath flower petals. Capable of flight. First-instar nymphs require substrate support for prey capture. Adults attracted to cerambycid beetle pheromones (2R,3S-2,3-hexanediol, S-2-hydroxy-3-octanone) and ipsenol, representing the first documented case of pheromone eavesdropping in assassin bugs.

Predator of soft-bodied insects including pollinators and herbivorous beetles. May influence cerambycid beetle population dynamics through pheromone-mediated predation at aggregation sites.

Can inflict painful defensive bites when handled; caution advised. Potential biocontrol agent given predation on pest insects including cerambycid beetles and stink bugs.

• Apiomerus spissipesClosely related species with overlapping distribution; A. spissipes is generally paler with more prominent markings and occupies the Great Plains, while A. crassipes is darker and occurs further east. Both share the 'bee assassin' habit of ambushing pollinators on flowers.
• Apiomerus flavipennisSimilar size and general appearance; distinguished by black and white ventral abdominal patches versus all-black abdomen in related species. A. flavipennis is restricted to Argentina and southern Brazil.

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Reduviidae | Beetles In The Bush | Page 2
• Milichiideae | Beetles In The Bush
• Bee Assassin on Coneflower | Beetles In The Bush
• Immature Stages and Biology of Apiomerus crassipes (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)1
• Cerambycid Pheromones Attract PredatorsTemnoscheila virescens(Coleoptera: Trogossitidae),Chariessa pilosa(Coleoptera: Cleridae), andApiomerus crassipes(Hemiptera: Reduviidae)
• New World biogeography and the evolution of polychromatism: evidence from the bee assassin genus Apiomerus (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae)