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Arilus cristatus, also known as the North American wheel bug or simply wheel bug, [1] is a species of large assassin bug in the family Reduviidae and the only species of wheel bug found in the United States.
Wheel bugs are a type of assassin bug (family Reduviidae), so they are predators. They have raptorial front legs (like praying mantids) that they will use to grab prey. Once they have captured their prey, they insert their mouthparts into their prey and inject their saliva, which contains chemicals that paralyze the prey and begin digesting it.
The wheel bug, also known as ‘ Arilus Cristatus,’ is an insect that is commonly found in various regions of the United States. These unwelcome creatures, with a crowned wheel in their thoracic cavity, are an inseparable part of the Reduviidae family.
The wheel bug, Arilus cristatus (Linnaeus), is a moderately common, widely distributed, beneficial assassin bug that preys on pest insects. However, its bite can be more severe than a bee sting, and both nymphs and adults should be avoided or handled with caution.
The Wheel Bug is a species of Assassin Bug found in North America with a painful bite. Scientifically known as Arilus cristatus, they have a semicircle spiny ridge behind their head which resembles a cogwheel or gear protruding up from their back.
The Wheel Bug is best identified by the ridged, or spiny, wheel on its pronotum (back). Adults are a dusty gray color that may be pale enough to look white. The narrow head has two large black eyes on either side.
An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information.
A wheel bug (Arilus cristatus) is a fairly large member (up to 1.5 inches) of the family commonly known as assassin bugs. According to Dan Young, entomology professor and director of the University of Wisconsin’s Insect Research Collection, they’re top predators in the insect world. “They use their sucking mouthparts to pierce and ...
Wheel Bugs are voracious predators, preying upon a wide variety of soft-bodied insects, “ambushing them with the accuracy of an assassin.” They are a valuable predator in forests and shade trees because Wheel Bugs dine on the hairy caterpillars that are defoliators.
Arilus, or wheel bugs due to the semicircular crest on the pronotum, [1][2][3] is a genus of true bugs in the family Reduviidae, subfamily Harpactorinae and tribe Harpactorini. Most species are found in the Americas. [4] Arilus is a generalist predator of insects. [2]