Phymatinae

Insects in the subfamily Phymatinae are commonly called ambush bugs after their habit of lying in wait for prey, relying on their superb camouflage. Armed with raptorial forelegs, ambush bugs routinely capture prey ten or more times their own size. They form a subgroup within the assassin bugs.

"Ambush bug" redirects here. For the fictional character, see Ambush Bug.

Phymatinae
Phymata sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Reduviidae
Subfamily: Phymatinae
Laporte, 1832
Tribes

Description
Phymata pennsylvanica
Phymata sp. eggs
Ambush bug nymph

Phymatinae are 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long. In Phymata, the scutellum is triangular and shorter than the pronotum. In Macrocephalus, the scutellum is narrow and rounded and extends to the tip of the abdomen.[1]

Phymatinae normally have a large fore femur and clubbed antennae. The forewing membranes sometimes lack distinct cells.[2]

The antennae have four segments. There are two ocelli. The beak has three segments. The tarsi also have three segments. The rear half of the abdomen expands beyond the edges of the wings.[3]

Etymology

The name Phymatinae is derived from the Greek phymata meaning "swollen", which presumably refers to the enlarged abdomen and femora.[4]

Taxonomy

The subfamily Phymatinae was often given family-level status and this classification is still used in some textbooks. Based on cladistic analyses, however, ambush bugs (Phymatinae) are part of the family Reduviidae (assassin bugs).[5][6] They are a sister group of the Holoptilinae.[7]

The Phymatinae include the following genera:[8][9]

Amblythyreus cf. intermedius from India
  • Amblythyreus
  • Lophoscutus Kormilev, 1951
  • Macrocephalus Swederus, 1787
  • Phymata Latreille, 1802
  • Themonocoris
  • Glossopelta
  • Carcinocoris
  • Chelocoris
  • Microtomus
  • Neocentrocnemis
  • Ptilocnemus
  • Agdistocoris
  • Agreuocoris
  • Bakerinia
  • Cnizocoris
  • Diurocoris
  • Eurymnus
  • Extraneza
  • Goellneriana
  • Hoberlandtiana
  • Kormilevida
  • Metagreuocoris
  • Narina
  • Oxythyreus
  • Parabotha
  • Paragreuocoris
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References
  1. Ross H. Arnett (2000). American insects: a handbook of the insects of America north of Mexico. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0212-1. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  2. "Phymatidae". University of California, Riverside. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31.
  3. "Phymatid". University of Florida. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27.
  4. Phyma at dictionary.com.
  5. Handlirsch, A.; Austria) (1897). "Monographie der Phymatiden". Annalen des K.K. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. 12: 127–230.
  6. Christiane Weirauch & James B. Munro (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of the assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), based on mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal genes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 53 (1): 287–299. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.039. PMID 19531379.
  7. Weirauch, Christiane; Forero, Dimitri; Jacobs, Dawid H. (2011). "On the evolution of raptorial legs - an insect example (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)". Cladistics. 27 (2): 138–149. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2010.00325.x.
  8. "Phymatinae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  9. Masonick, Paul; Michael, Amy; Frankenberg, Sarah; Rabitsch, Wolfgang; Weirauch, Christiane (2017). "Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114: 225–233. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010. PMID 28634150.
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