A local Walking Stick

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Praxibetelix
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PostPraxibetelix 12/2/2016, 1:30 pm

This is a specimen that was with a lot more hanging out on the screen of a window at our local nature center. Early fall, September. It was very active and difficult to photograph with my phone, but that is all I have for a camera, lol.

A local Walking Stick Stick110
A local Walking Stick Stick210
A local Walking Stick Stick310

Oh, it was about 2 or 2.5 inches long.
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PostPraxibetelix 12/2/2016, 1:31 pm

If you look closely at the last photo, you can make out the proboscis and wing buds.
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PostT.C. 12/2/2016, 3:10 pm

Cool... I actually am not sure what species that is though? hmmm...
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PostPraxibetelix 12/2/2016, 4:04 pm

I have no idea! Unless the adult has small wings, it is a subadult. The colors in the photo are true, it was pretty dark with light bands on the legs.
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PostT.C. 12/6/2016, 6:11 pm

About how big is it? I am really curious to know what species it is.
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PostPraxibetelix 12/6/2016, 7:44 pm

In the second and third photo, it is in that praying mantis-like stance. That put it about the same length as the palm of my hand...3 inches roughly. Very skinny! Reminded me of those long legged "mosquito-eaters" / "giant Mosquitos" that you see at night in summer, but about twice as long. I thought they were sub-adult nymphs because of two things. First, what appears to be wing buds. And second, there was a smallish congregation of them, although that would suggest mating adults....so I don't know lol
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PostPraxibetelix 12/6/2016, 7:45 pm

The white "dish" it is on is a normal size frisbee. If that helps you with scale.
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PostHisserdude 12/7/2016, 3:57 pm

Not a Phasmid, though I can certainly see why you would think it is! It is actually a Reduviid, something in the subfamily Emesinae, probably Emesaya brevipennis. They are known as "Stilt-legged bugs", and are actually carnivorous, particularly on spiders, and they are very hard to keep alive in captivity.

Also, FYI, phasmids actually have chewing mouthparts, not a proboscis. Smile

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PostT.C. 12/7/2016, 4:09 pm

Hisserdude wrote:Not a Phasmid, though I can certainly see why you would think it is! It is actually a Reduviid, something in the subfamily Emesinae, probably Emesaya brevipennis. They are known as "Stilt-legged bugs", and are actually carnivorous, particularly on spiders, and they are very hard to keep alive in captivity.

Also, FYI, phasmids actually have chewing mouthparts, not a proboscis. Smile



huh, thanks for the ID. Why is is that that they are hard to keep in captivity?
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PostHisserdude 12/7/2016, 4:24 pm

T.C. wrote:
Hisserdude wrote:Not a Phasmid, though I can certainly see why you would think it is! It is actually a Reduviid, something in the subfamily Emesinae, probably Emesaya brevipennis. They are known as "Stilt-legged bugs", and are actually carnivorous, particularly on spiders, and they are very hard to keep alive in captivity.

Also, FYI, phasmids actually have chewing mouthparts, not a proboscis. Smile



huh, thanks for the ID. Why is is that that they are hard to keep in captivity?

'Cause they are picky as to what spiders they will eat, and in the wild they actually steal spiders from their webs, and there is no easy way to replicate that in captivity, at least not consistently, through multiple generations.
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PostPraxibetelix 12/7/2016, 5:28 pm

I only caught it to photograph it, put it back on the screen where it was found. Thanks for that ID! Being familiar with our own insect with a proboscis, I was not intending to handle this thing, glad I did not. I thought it looked carnivorous, with the legs held like a mantids and the proboscis. However, I had no idea that phasmids do not have this feature.

Do they fly? Are these guys sub-adults? I thought they were fascinating.

How do you remember all this stuff!? My other mom friends think I am insane, and think that I know a lot about bugs. I feel like an infant compared to you guys lol!
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PostPraxibetelix 12/8/2016, 6:53 pm

So, would this be considered a "true bug"? Does the proboscis put it in that category? Should my post be moved to that section?
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PostPraxibetelix 12/8/2016, 7:08 pm

Found this on bugguide.net after searching for the ID that Hisserdude gave us. The guy's description of the insect is really funny, he describes it in flight as well as some other behaviors. These little bugs seem to be very interesting, I will keep my eye out for them in the future, just to watch, not to catch.

Here is the link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/87010/bgimage
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PostHisserdude 12/11/2016, 7:30 pm

Praxibetelix wrote:I only caught it to photograph it, put it back on the screen where it was found. Thanks for that ID! Being familiar with our own insect with a proboscis, I was not intending to handle this thing, glad I did not. I thought it looked carnivorous, with the legs held like a mantids and the proboscis. However, I had no idea that phasmids do not have this feature.

Do they fly? Are these guys sub-adults? I thought they were fascinating.

How do you remember all this stuff!? My other mom friends think I am insane, and think that I know a lot about bugs. I feel like an infant compared to you guys lol!

No problem, happy to help! Smile I believe they are fairly skittish and fragile, so I doubt you could get it to bite you without sufficiently upsetting it first.

I'm not sure whether they can fly or not TBH, my guess is they can, but I could be wrong.

Well I've been interested in insects basically my whole life, and I've spent a lot of time researching them, so some information is bound to stick lol! Laughing

Praxibetelix wrote:So, would this be considered a "true bug"? Does the proboscis put it in that category? Should my post be moved to that section?

Well other insects can have a proboscis and not be a true bug, (Butterflies and Moths for example), but yes, this is a true bug and should be moved to the proper section. Smile

Praxibetelix wrote:Found this on bugguide.net after searching for the ID that Hisserdude gave us. The guy's description of the insect is really funny, he describes it in flight as well as some other behaviors. These little bugs seem to be very interesting, I will keep my eye out for them in the future, just to watch, not to catch.

Here is the link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/87010/bgimage

Ah well there's your answer right there, guess they can fly!
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PostTheMaSter 12/26/2016, 7:48 pm

I have kept a few specimens that reached about a centimeter long, but they were not very choosy on their prey items. In fact, they fed well on fruit flies and springtails, but since then I no longer have that culture.
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PostEsherman81 1/3/2017, 5:52 pm

Looks like a northern walking stick .
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PostHisserdude 1/3/2017, 8:47 pm

TheMaSter wrote:I have kept a few specimens that reached about a centimeter long, but they were not very choosy on their prey items. In fact, they fed well on fruit flies and springtails, but since then I no longer have that culture.

Very interesting, thanks for the info! Smile Wonder if these could be continuously reared in captivity then, would certainly be an interesting addition to the assassin bug hobby.

Esherman81 wrote:Looks like a northern walking stick .

Actually it's an assassin bug. Smile
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Postmothman27 1/3/2017, 10:13 pm

I found a nymph recently, it was a green one.

True Bug: An insect in the order Hemiptera. Includes assassin, shield, stink and giant water bugs.
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PostTheMaSter 1/4/2017, 2:13 pm

mothman27 wrote:I found a nymph recently, it was a green one.

True Bug: An insect in the order Hemiptera. Includes assassin, shield, stink and giant water bugs.
That would most likelynot be a nymph of this type of insect, but you might have mistaken it for a praying mantis or stick insect nymph. All of those are really cool to come across, but I don't think you found a thread-legged bug nymph. It's not impossible to find them, but the nymphs are very small, around less than half a centimeter and take shelter under debris. They are mostly black or brown, possibly mottled with tiny white stripes, but unless they have been feasting on some very green-pigmented inverts (which would only give them a miniscule green spot in their intestinal tract area) then it is one of the other two kinds of insects I mentioned.
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Postmothman27 1/4/2017, 3:29 pm

I meant hemiptera, it was an assassin bug nymph.
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Postzoldos 11/1/2017, 3:12 am

Definitely one of the most interesting insects I've come across. It seemed quite energetic! Very Happy Only seen one tho!
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