Emesinae
Guides
Barce
Barce is a genus of thread-legged bugs in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Emesinae, tribe Metapterini. The genus was established by Stål in 1866 and contains approximately 10 described species. These predatory true bugs are characterized by their elongated, slender legs adapted for capturing prey on vegetation.
Barce aberrans
Barce aberrans is a species of thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Emesinae. It was described by McAtee and Malloch in 1925 and is native to North America. As a member of the Metapterini tribe, it belongs to a group of reduviids characterized by slender, elongated bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The species is part of the diverse emesine fauna of North America, though detailed biological information remains limited in published literature.
Barce fraterna
Barce fraterna is a thread-legged bug (subfamily Emesinae) in the assassin bug family Reduviidae. The species has a broad distribution spanning the Caribbean, Central America, North America, and South America, including the Galápagos Islands. Three subspecies are recognized: B. f. annulipes, B. f. banksii, and the nominate B. f. fraterna. Like other emesines, it possesses the characteristic elongated, slender legs adapted for predation on other arthropods.
Barce fraterna fraterna
Barce fraterna fraterna is a subspecies of thread-legged bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) first described by Thomas Say in 1832. It belongs to the tribe Metapterini, a group of predatory true bugs characterized by slender, elongate bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The subspecies occurs across a broad geographic range spanning North, Central, and South America, including the Galápagos Islands.
Barce werneri
Barce werneri is a species of thread-legged bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) described by Wygodzinsky in 1966. It belongs to the tribe Metapterini within the subfamily Emesinae, a group characterized by their slender, elongate bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for predation. The species has been recorded from North America, though specific details regarding its biology and ecology remain limited.
Emesaya
Emesaya is a genus of thread-legged assassin bugs (Reduviidae: Emesinae) described by McAtee & Malloch in 1925. Members of this genus are characterized by their elongated, slender bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for predation. The genus includes at least one well-studied species, Emesaya brevipennis, for which life history data has been documented through laboratory rearing.
Emesini
thread-legged bugs
Emesini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs (Reduviidae: Emesinae) characterized by extremely slender bodies and elongated legs. The tribe contains multiple genera distributed worldwide, with some species exhibiting specialized cave-dwelling habits. Members of this tribe include both surface-dwelling and cavernicolous species, with documented arachnophilous behavior in several taxa.
Empicoris errabundus
thread-legged assassin bug
Empicoris errabundus is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae. It is found across the Caribbean, Central America, and North America. Members of this genus are small, slender predatory insects that have been observed at ultraviolet light sources, likely hunting smaller insects attracted to the light.
Empicoris orthoneuron
thread-legged bug
Empicoris orthoneuron is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, characterized by its elongated, slender body form adapted for predation. The species has been recorded across a broad geographic range spanning Central America, North America, and South America. It is one of many small, nocturnal predatory insects attracted to ultraviolet light sources. The species is currently treated as a synonym of Empicoris errabundus in some taxonomic databases.
Empicoris pilosus
thread-legged assassin bug
Empicoris pilosus is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, characterized by its extremely slender, elongated legs adapted for capturing prey on vegetation. The species has been recorded in both Europe and North America, though specific details about its biology remain sparse. It belongs to a group of reduviids known for their specialized predatory habits on small insects.
Empicoris rubromaculatus
Thread Bug
Empicoris rubromaculatus is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, commonly known as the thread bug. It is characterized by its elongated, slender body and exceptionally long, thread-like legs. The species has been documented in North America and Oceania, with distribution records from the Azores islands including Faial, Flores, Pico, São Miguel, and Santa Maria. It has been observed at ultraviolet light sources, suggesting nocturnal activity.
Empicoris vagabundus
thread-legged bug
Empicoris vagabundus is a small predatory insect in the family Reduviidae, commonly known as thread-legged bugs. The species measures 6–7 mm in length and is distinguished by its elongated, slender legs. It has been documented across Europe, much of Asia, and the Americas, inhabiting deciduous trees where it hunts barklice and other small insects. The species is attracted to ultraviolet light sources and has been observed as bycatch in mosquito surveillance traps.
Empicoris winnemana
thread-legged bug
Empicoris winnemana is a species of thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, described by McAtee & Malloch in 1925. It is native to North America. Like other members of the genus Empicoris, it is characterized by exceptionally slender, elongated legs adapted for predation on small insects. The species is poorly documented in scientific literature, with limited observational records.
Gardena
thread-legged bug
Gardena is a genus of thread-legged assassin bugs in the subfamily Emesinae, tribe Emesini. It is the second-largest genus in its tribe, with 46 described species. Members of this genus are characterized by their elongated, slender bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The genus was established by Dohrn in 1859.
Ghinallelia productilis
Ghinallelia productilis is a thread-legged bug in the assassin bug family Reduviidae, first described by Barber in 1914. The species belongs to the subfamily Emesinae, a group characterized by slender, elongated bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for predation. It has been documented in the Caribbean and North America. Like other emesine reduviids, it likely occupies vegetation where it hunts small arthropod prey.
Leistarchini
thread-legged bugs
Leistarchini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs within the subfamily Emesinae (family Reduviidae). Members of this group are characterized by their elongated, slender bodies and extremely long, thin legs—adaptations for living in narrow spaces such as spider webs and crevices. The tribe was established by Carl Stål in 1862. These predatory true bugs are part of the diverse assassin bug fauna, though specific biological details for many constituent genera remain poorly documented.
Metapterini
Metapterini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs within the assassin bug subfamily Emesinae (family Reduviidae). Members of this tribe are characterized by their elongated, slender legs and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The tribe was established by Carl Stål in 1874 and is distinguished from other Emesinae tribes by specific morphological features of the head and leg structure.
Phasmatocoris
Phasmatocoris is a genus of thread-legged bugs in the subfamily Emesinae, family Reduviidae. Fourteen species have been described, with the genus first established by Breddin in 1904. Species are documented from Colombia and other regions. The genus remains poorly studied with limited biological data available.
Phasmatocoris labyrinthicus
Phasmatocoris labyrinthicus is a species of thread-legged assassin bug described by Pape in 2013. It belongs to the subfamily Emesinae, characterized by extremely slender bodies and elongated legs adapted for life on spider webs. The species name "labyrinthicus" likely refers to the complex, maze-like patterns or habitat associations. As a reduviid, it is presumed to be predatory, though specific behavioral details remain undocumented.
Ploiaria aptera
Ploiaria aptera is a thread-legged bug species described by McAtee and Malloch in 1925. It belongs to the subfamily Emesinae within the assassin bug family Reduviidae. The species is known from North America and is characterized by its wingless condition, as indicated by its specific epithet 'aptera'. Thread-legged bugs in this genus are typically slender predators with elongated legs adapted for capturing prey on vegetation.
Ploiaria pilicornis
Ploiaria pilicornis is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, described by McAtee and Malloch in 1925. The species belongs to the subfamily Emesinae, characterized by their elongated, slender legs and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. Like other emesines, it is presumed to be predatory, though specific details of its biology remain poorly documented.
Ploiaria reticulata
Ploiaria reticulata is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Emesinae. The species was described by Baker in 1910 and is distributed across Middle and North America. Like other emesine reduviids, it possesses elongated, thread-like legs adapted for capturing prey on vegetation.
Ploiaria setulifera
Ploiaria setulifera is a thread-legged assassin bug described in 1925. It belongs to the subfamily Emesinae, a group characterized by extremely slender bodies and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The species has been documented in the Caribbean and North America. Like other reduviids, it is presumed predatory, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Ploiaria similis
Ploiaria similis is a species of thread-legged assassin bug (Reduviidae: Emesinae) described by McAtee & Malloch in 1925. The species belongs to the genus Ploiaria, a group of slender, elongate reduviids characterized by their thread-like legs and cryptic habits. It is recorded from North America and Middle America based on distribution data, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Pseudometapterus
Pseudometapterus is a genus of thread-legged bugs (Reduviidae: Emesinae) established by Wygodzinsky in 1966. The genus contains at least four described species distributed in North America. Most members are brachypterous or apterous, with reduced or absent wings, though winged forms have been documented in P. umbrosus.
Reduviidae
Assassin Bugs, Ambush Bugs, Kissing Bugs, Wheel Bugs, Thread-legged Bugs, Bee Assassins, Millipede Assassins, Masked Hunters
Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) comprising approximately 7,000 described species across more than 20 subfamilies. The family is predominantly terrestrial and predatory, with members employing diverse hunting strategies including ambush predation, active pursuit, and specialized prey capture using modified forelegs or sticky secretions. A notable exception is the subfamily Triatominae, whose members are hematophagous ectoparasites of vertebrates and vectors of Chagas disease. Most species possess a distinctive narrow neck, sturdy body, and curved proboscis that fits into a stridulatory groove on the prosternum, producing sound when rubbed against ridges. The family exhibits remarkable morphological diversity, with body sizes ranging from 12 to 36 mm and coloration spanning cryptic browns and blacks to aposematic reds, oranges, and metallic blues.
Stenolemoides arizonensis
Stenolemoides arizonensis is a thread-legged assassin bug in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Emesinae. It belongs to the tribe Emesini, which comprises slender, elongate predatory true bugs adapted for hunting in confined spaces. The species was originally described by Nathan Banks in 1909 as Luteva arizonensis and later transferred to the genus Stenolemoides. Like other emesine assassin bugs, it possesses raptorial forelegs modified for capturing prey and an elongated body form associated with its predatory lifestyle.
Stenolemus longicornis
Stenolemus longicornis is a thread-legged assassin bug in the subfamily Emesinae. It is notable as a specialized predator of web-building spiders, exploiting the host's own webs to capture prey. The species exhibits the elongated, slender body form characteristic of the subfamily. Its life history and ecology are closely tied to spider web microhabitats.
Stenolemus spiniventris
Stenolemus spiniventris is a thread-legged bug in the assassin bug family Reduviidae, first described by Signoret in 1858. It belongs to the subfamily Emesinae, characterized by extremely slender, elongate legs and body form. The species occurs in Central America and North America, though detailed natural history information remains limited in published sources.