Acanthaspis quinquespinosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Acanthaspis quinquespinosa | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Reduviidae |
| Genus: | Acanthaspis |
| Species: | A. quinquespinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Acanthaspis quinquespinosa | |
Acanthaspis quinquespinosa is a species of assassin bug found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Tibet. It is a predator, and both nymphs and adults feed on termites, beetles, caterpillars and other insect prey.
The adult Acanthaspis quinquespinosa is a warningly-coloured, winged assassin bug that varies in appearance depending on the habitat in which it occurs. The overall colour is dark brown to black, with a reddish-brown abdomen and legs, and yellowish spots on the pronotum and fore-wings. There are two spines or prominent tubercles near the centre of the posterior lobe of the pronotum, and two long spines at the posterior margin; the scutellum bears a single spine at its apex. The insects are about 2 cm (0.8 in) long, with males being somewhat smaller than females.[2][3] It is a common species; the colouring is similar to that of Acanthaspis angularis and Acanthaspis flavipes, but they can be distinguished by differences in the male genitalia.[3]