Extraoral-digestion
Guides
Abedus
ferocious water bugs
Abedus is a genus of giant water bugs in the family Belostomatidae, found in freshwater habitats of the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. These brown insects are notable for their exclusive male parental care, where females glue eggs onto the male's back and males carry and tend them until hatching. Most species are flightless or have greatly reduced flight capabilities. They are sit-and-wait predators that capture prey with raptorial front legs and subdue it with a venomous proboscis.
Hybotidae
typical dance flies, hybotid dance flies
Hybotidae is a family of small predatory flies within the superfamily Empidoidea, comprising over 1,600 described species worldwide. Formerly treated as a subfamily of Empididae, Hybotidae is now recognized as a distinct family based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. Adults are generally predatory on small invertebrates, while larvae occupy diverse microhabitats including leaf litter, dung, fungi, roots, and aquatic or semiaquatic environments. The family exhibits notable morphological diversity, with some species displaying specialized leg modifications for prey capture and mating.
Hybotinae
dance flies
Hybotinae is a globally widespread subfamily of hybotid flies, commonly known as dance flies. Adults are predatory and frequently observed in mating swarms where males perform characteristic 'dancing' movements. The subfamily has undergone taxonomic revision, with Hybotinae elevated to family rank (Hybotidae) by some European authorities, though this classification remains inconsistently adopted. The group includes at least 12 genera and is particularly diverse in the Oriental Realm.
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.