Tuesday, January 8, 2013

True Bug Tuesday: Masked Hunter

Note: This is the debut installment of a semi-regular feature I am dubbing “True Bug Tuesday.” It will likely include reposts of previous entries that cover members of the order Hemiptera.

Remember when your parents told you there were no monsters under your bed? Perhaps they were wrong. Have you ever wondered if you were hallucinating when you swore you saw a self-propelled dust bunny crawling across the floor? You might have been perfectly sane. There is a predatory insect that qualifies as both a miniature monster and an animated dust ball, and it is most often encountered indoors rather than outside.

The Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus, is a member of the assassin bug family Reduviidae. Fortunately, the only thing it “assassinates” is other insects and related invertebrates. The piercing-sucking mouthparts are sleeved inside a short, stout, segmented beak bent under the insect’s “chin” when not in use.

The most remarkable trait of this species is the appearance of the immature stages, called “nymphs.” True bugs in general go through “gradual” metamorphosis, such that the juvenile stages look much like the adults, except that they are smaller, not sexually mature, and lack wings (if the species in question has wings at maturity). This is true of the Masked Hunter, except that the nymphs actively cover themselves in lint, sawdust, and other debris.

Their bodies are covered in short and long trichomes (hairs) connected to glands that produce a sticky substance. Fine particles adhere to the short trichomes close to the body of the insect, while longer trichomes anchor coarser particles in a second layer of camouflage. A “tarsal fan” of dense, long hairs on the foot of each hind leg helps the nymph apply the trash to the trichomes (Weirauch, 2006).

Each time the baby assassin molts (sheds its exoskeleton to grow in the brief interval before the new exoskeleton hardens), it must repeat the self-decorating process. The disguise helps protect it from potential predators, but might also make it appear harmless to its own prey. The Masked Hunter is probably a generalist predator, but it is often found in association with people and/or colonial birds and bats. It is well known for preying on bed bugs and swallow bugs (true bugs in the family Cimicidae). Other prey records include silverfish, booklice, and at least one harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones).

Masked Hunters go through five instars. An instar is the period between molts. The nymphs are the ones that overwinter, usually in the fifth instar, but in Canada the life cycle may take two years, the nymphs overwintering in the third and fifth instar (Scudder, 1992). During the winter they are in diapauses, ceasing activity until the following spring. The sixth molt produces the adult insect, a dark, winged animal measuring from 15-22 millimeters in length.

Today, the Masked Hunter is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is assumed that it is European in origin and has been transported to other continents through human travel and commerce. While it can be a common species, it is not prolific, and populations are usually small. Few specimens will occupy any given home or other building.

Assassin bugs are able to produce sound by rubbing one body part against another, a phenomenon known as “stridulation.” In this case, the insect rocks its head up and down, rubbing the tip of its beak across a series of transverse ridges on its "chest." The result is a very audible squeaking sound that may startle any other creature that grabs the bug.

The Masked Hunter is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is assumed to be European in origin and has been transported to other continents through human travel and commerce. Most adult specimens of Reduvius personatus are seen in June and July. Look for them at lights at night where they are occasionally attracted by the buffet of potential prey insects. By day, they hide under bark on logs and in other sheltered situations. Be careful, though, Masked Hunters can deliver a painful bite in self-defense.

Sources: Hoffman, Richard L. 2006. “Assassin Bugs of Virginia,” The Insects of Virginia 15: 1-74.
Scudder, G.G.E. 1992. “The distribution and life cycle of Reduvius personatus (L.) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Canada,” J. Entomol. Soc. B.C. 89: 38-42.
Weirauch, Chrstiane. 2006. “Anatomy of Disguise: Camouflaging Structures in Nymphs of Some Reduviidae (Heteroptera),” Am. Mus. Novit. 3542: 1-18.

56 comments:

  1. Thanks!!! Really helped me at school with my invertebrates unit!!!

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  2. I found one of these bugs coming out from under the floorboard in the study. It looked as though it had curly hair all over its body,very cute. I took a photo of the Nymph for my desktop, before releasing it under my garden shed. I'm so glad to find out what it is and its habits on this website as I've never seen anything quite like it before!

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  3. Every aspect of this is absolutely fascinating! I wouldn't mind seeing one of these here at our house, though it might have some cat hair adorning the lint.

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  4. I did once find a masked hunter in my bathroom. I thought it was an adorable little thing -- and I'm not a bug/insect fan in general, with the odd exception like acorn weevils. Upon researching I realized the 'cute and interesting texture' of its body was actually kitty litter!

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    1. GREAT story, Aiesha, thank you for sharing! :-)

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  5. Recently spotted one of these in the living room and released it outside. Hoping this sighting was just a coincidence and he's not actually feasting on bed bugs (we haven't spotted any of those, but now I'm concerned!).

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    1. They *will* feed on other household insects, Rebecka, so I would not be overly worried. Prevention is the key to controlling bed bugs. Please see my "A Bed Bug Primer" post for help with that.

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    2. thanks for your response, I'll take a look!

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    3. You are most welcome, always!

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  6. Had one of these fly into my jacket sleeve and start biting my arm. I now have a bruise like appearance approx. 2-1/2 in dia. Is there a remedy for this?

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    1. I am so sorry! Unfortunately, this is now a medical question that I am not qualified to answer. Do take care and hurry to your physician or the ER if things do not improve or get worse. Everyone's immune system is different.

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  7. Is it possible for thses to be found in clothing n blankets appering as lint balls? I have lint balls all over n I feel like they have little bugs in them ??

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    1. If you leave clothes on the floor, then yes, possibly, though the lint balls would walk around if they were actually Masked Hunters.

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  8. Are these the same as the kissing bug people are freaking out about? I have found one in my basement and didn't get a clear answer online. No bed bugs, other bugs are minimal. Thanks

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    1. These are often confused with "kissing bugs." Both are assassin bugs in the family Reduviidae, but the similarities end there. The Masked Hunter preys only on other insects. They get into our own home now and then, and we don't have many other insects, either, so who knows why. No need to be worried in any event.

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  9. I sat down on my front stoop tonight and felt "watched". I turned to my right and there it was, a six-legged piece of dirt, hahaha. Thank you for this wonderful article. Nice to know "who" was watching me. :)

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  10. I was laying in bed and had one of these bite me on the back of the neck. Yelled at my husband to follow me to the bathroom light to look at it since I didn't feel a bug there. It was on my back, we swatted it off and of course killed it because we had no idea what it was. Then I turned around and there's another one on the wall. It was so hard to find what kind of bug it was since there's not much information on them anywhere. Meanwhile I feel like my neck keeps getting stung by several wasps nonstop. Finally come across this article with plenty of info on these little monsters. Since we do not have bedbugs or many other bugs in the house besides some moths occasionally, I'm wondering do they eat moths and that's why they're in my home? Anyway thanks so much for such an informative article!

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    1. First of all, I am sorry you have had bad experiences with these! Yes, they are willing to eat other insects besides bed bugs. Hard to say why some homes seem to be more attractive to them than others.

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  11. I found one of these crawling near the cat's litter box. Sadly, I mistook it for a tick and squished it between a Kleenex. oops! I'll release the next one outside.

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  12. Hi i have a bug thaf i found on my kitchen work top i have a picture but dont know how to put on here please can some one help me i live in the uk thanks in advance.

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    1. You can try using the forum I have set up (see tab at top of this page). Otherwise, upload the image to the web and furnish a URL link that I can click on to view it. Thank you.

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  13. One found its way on my leg it hurt like hell should I be worried it looks like the adult form

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    1. Reactions to bites vary greatly, mostly due to your personal immune system response. Do monitor the symptoms. They should not get worse. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience profuse sweating, shortness of breath, etc. Also, note that the Black Corsair, Melanolestes picipes, looks almost identical. *That* might be your real villain.

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  14. I just got bit by one of these this morning in my bed!!!!!! it felt like bee stings for 5 min straight. ahhhhhhh so its not poisonous?

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    1. Reactions to bites vary greatly, ostly due to your personal immune system response. The worst bite I ever received was from a *smaller* assassin bug species, so....There is little question that assassin bug saliva has paralytic qualities for subduing prey, so in a sense they do have venom.

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  15. Hi is there like a spray I can put around my house to get rid of these things?? I keep seeing them everywhere and I can't stand bugs! Please is there anything?

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    1. I'm sorry, but I never give pest control advice, for more reasons than I can explain....but these are *good* bugs to have around, as they kill other insects that really *are* pests.

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  16. Hi Eric. Thanks for the very useful article. Usually notice an adult masked hunter in the house once or twice every summer and remove them to outside. This year, however, I must have had to remove close to 20 adults (thus far) and 2 juveniles. Is there a specific condition that could cause such an influx? I appreciate the usefulness of most insects and generally leave them to do their work, but in this case should I be concerned about the high numbers?

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  17. Hill I want to breed the common Ontario masked hunter for bed bug control of my house. Can you let me know who will send the reproductive pairs? I am an entomologist.. I would prefer the to bed bugs!! I already see dead assassin bugs but not enough o feel they are doing any control.. I do have bed bugs.. though not a huge infestation at all. Thanks!!

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  18. I found one of these bugs just wanted to know if it was a kissing bug or related to

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  19. I accidentally stepped on a bug that looks a lot like this. It bit me. Hurt like wasp sting. The bite site swelled up a little but 4 hours later it is going down. Do I have anything to worry about. Oh and it smells bad too. I have it in a jar in case I need to go to the doctor.

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    1. You should be fine by now....Apologies for the delay in replying.

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  20. The strangest thing happened. About year ago, one of these fell on my head at night and freaked me out. I am terrified of bugs, but with research I found out what it was. Tonight the same thing happened, but I live in a different city. I just need them to stop falling on my head lol.

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  21. If you fond these Reduvius personatus does that mwan you have bed bugs

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  22. Hi Eric! I've found 5 masked hunters inside my house in the last 2 weeks. All of them were adults. I never saw any nymph, at least not yet. I do not have bed bugs. I had a few little spiders here and there and I am actually not seeing them anymore. Is the masked hunters eating my little spiders? Do I have a masked hunter infestation? Even though I never saw nymphs? Thank you!

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    1. Are you sure that is what they are? There are some assassin bugs ("kissing bugs") that do feed on blood. The only other explanation I have is that they were attracted to lights at night and somehow got indoors.

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    2. im pretty sure it is the masked hunter, i found just one nymph covered in dust like the pictures, exactly like that >.< so i was searching more about this little guys and it says everywhere "their community is small" but what is small? 100? 1000?

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  23. I just found this. I'm not sure if you will reply. I found one of these bugs in my house and now I am very worried. I don't see any bed bugs. However, the tree right outside my bedroom window is being absolutely eaten by earwigs and other little beetles. Could this be why I had one in my room?

    My other fear is that it was the blood sucking kind (though it really looked like an adult of this one). I have a pet rabbit in my room and the bug was by her playpen. I smashed it because I don't know what it is and don't want her to he harmed.

    So I'm wondering: could I have had one in my room and not have bed bugs? Could it be from the earwigs and little beetles outside?

    Or should I be worried the blood sucking kind is after my bunny? I know you wrote this long ago, but I really hope you reply because I'm scared.

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    1. I've been on vacation, so pardon the delay in replying....I would not be worried. You don't say where you are located, but the blood-sucking conenoses (Triatoma spp.) are principally southern U.S. insects, especially from Arizona to Texas. One species ranges to southern Ohio, Maryland, Missouri, Kansas. Not having bed bugs does not mean you will never have the Masked Hunter. They are often attracted to outdoor lights at night, so maybe turn those off?

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  24. Just found one in my daughter's shed. Strangely enough, my first thought was an Assassin bug of some sort. I knew it was a true bug. Glad to find this info, so I know what it is for sure. https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/175299280_10158782018080568_415111713573110460_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=woP45hLZHCMAX8Z9-IV&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=3d53f38afdfdf0760bb40c2743e6ed43&oe=60A25614

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  25. Hi, does anyone know if there is another insect besides kissing bugs that appear as lint? I have lint literally that comes towards me and if I try to swat it away it comes back just as fast and then I get bit, and there's lots. They are torture. Constantly going for my face, ears, hair and feet. There is something very weird though, when I see a black dot looking thing and capture it in a plastic bottle, they have appeared as a cat. They used to appear as black and grey, the grey was it's wings I'm assuming, they could float. I also watched one attack it's prey and its head turned into hair. It was trippy. Where I live there's not alot of people that have heard of these and I didn't either until I researched online. There have been a couple times where our carpet has white paper kinda looking things and there's lots and will bite. I looked online at the lifecycle of the kissing bug and i guess it's Thier babies. Do you know what would be up with the cat thing and also have they been known to enter people's bodies? Thank you.
    Also I reside in Alberta Canada. Here people rarely have heard of these so I'm kinda having a crappy time with what I should do here. This is an all day thing, they are ruthless.
    Thanks, hope to hear from you
    Nicole

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    1. I'm sorry but I cannot help you. This sounds very much like a case of delusory parasitosis. That does NOT mean you are "crazy," or that this is "all in your head," but it could indicate a neurological disorder. Please consider seeking medical help, this is something beyond my expertise. I do wish you a complete and permanent resolution to your situation.

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  26. Can these bugs have white, almost clear wings? My husband just caught a bug that looked like this and threw it in our toilet

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    1. The answer is no. I suspect you found a different kind of insect.

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  27. Found one of these in my daughters room today. It was white I suspect it was drywall dust as we had a patch done recently in her room. She picked it up and I’m glad it didn’t bite her reading about it now. She’s only a toddler. We have an issue with earwigs so they must be feeding on that. Thank you for the information

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  28. I'm a little late to the party here but im a mail carrier in Minnesota and I believe I knocked one off of a mailbox just recently and it wedged between the tongue of my shoe and my ankle so it freaked out and bit me what felt like 5 or 6 times in a row. My skin swelled up that evening and it felt like I was being branded with a hot piece of metal and bitten over and over again. I was literally doing breathing techniques to manage the pain as I tried to go to sleep that night. It turned red and white by the next morning and it hurt for days and days. That was about 5 weeks ago and it still hasn't healed. Theres literally a hole in my ankle where it bit me! I remember telling people it was grey in color and looked fuzzy but not really fuzzy but couldn't describe it any better than that and then finally this morning as I was loading my truck I saw one on the brick wall of the post office and took a picture of it. It looks exactly like the pictures on this site so its nice to finally have an answer����

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    1. Wow, I am so sorry you are having such a traumatic experience. That does not sound like a "normal" reaction, and I hope that you will have your injury double-checked by a physician to make sure an infection has not set in, or there is not some other complication. Get well soon!

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  29. Thanks for all the helpful details, I just found one of these in my bedroom and relocated it outdoors. Fun seeing a new critter, prefer not in my bedroom. No sign of bedbugs, though, so that's good.

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  30. I've seen a nymph before years ago in my bathroom and already researched masked hunters, so I was pretty sure when I found a large dark bug tonight it was an adult. But I was so surprised when I tried to catch it and accidentally pinned it against the carpet for a moment because it started squeaking at me!!! Thank you for explaining how they squeak. I kinda feel bad that I scared it, but I had to catch it so I could release it outside!

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  31. Hey!!!! I found a nymph on the bathroom counter. Covered it with the kids medicine cup so I could figure out what it was, Went to science camp to pick up the kids and teller was looking at a Kaufmans to figure out a beetle he saw! Lol I love this story! He flipped right to the page where my unidentified bug was sitting on my bathroom counter. !!! Wait!!! That’s at home right now! I had forgotten already. Then I was like holy shit they predominately feed on bedbugs!!! NOOO!!!! I checked beds and on a close “watch”. Kyle came home from work tonight and I was explaining the whole crazy bug thing and I looked it up to show him a picture of the dust encrusted little booger. Masked hunter. Well your blog post popped up for me to read! Thank you! At least I know they do eat other things as well. Kyle has been working out of town and in hotel, so his bathroom bag was on the counter before he left the day I found Mr. dust encrusted. So we are putting his duffel bag in quarantine tonight to be cautious! Love you!

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  32. My son just found one of these little guys inside on his shoe. They really are cute! So we put him outside in a garden planter. They will survive outside, right?

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