ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT?

Assassin bugs: Real or Not?

Mahala P
ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT? 2

Abstract

Franky Lake from the online tabloid Weekly World News discusses the existence, size,

and predatory tendencies of an insect known as the “assassin bug” in his article, “ASSASSIN

BUG,” Weekly World News. Using academic databases only, research was conducted on the

assassin bug to explore the truthfulness of Lake’s claims. Research found that the assassin bugs

(Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae) do exist. They are ecologically distributed exclusively in the

Afrotropical Region1, but have also been discovered in areas of Australia and Malaysia,

supporting the photo provided in said article taken by Malaysian photographer Hock Ping Guek.

The species has not yet posed a threat on human life through direct consumption, however, it has

shown tendencies in the past to feed on human blood, thus spreading harmful disease.2

Keywords: assassin bugs, ecological distribution, science rebuttal

1
Chłond, D., & Bugaj‐ Nawrocka, A. (2015). Assassin bugs of the subfamily Diaspidiinae (Heteroptera:
Reduviidae): distribution and potential ecological niches. Entomological Science, 18(3), 389-399.
2
Hwang, W. S., Weirauch, C., & Crandall, K. A. (2012). Evolutionary History of Assassin Bugs (Insecta:
Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights from Divergence Dating and Ancestral State Reconstruction. Plos ONE,
7(9), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045523
ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT? 3

Assassin bugs: Real or Not?

Weekly World News began in the late 1970s. When the National Enquirer shifted to

colored ink, the editor decided to make use of the no-longer-needed black and white printer to

produce stories of complete fiction, for amusement purposes only. Such stories became the debut

repertoire of Weekly World News, which evolved into a tabloid newspaper of its own.

Considering these facts, it is not complex to understand why many do not consider this

publication to be a trustworthy news source, despite its slogan, “the world’s only reliable news.”

In this research document, a specific article titled, “ASSASSIN BUG,” published May 3, 2012,

will be tested against the contents scholarly, peer reviewed articles with similar subject matter.

According to Lake (2012), the assassin bug is best described, as it is in the opening sentence, as

the “‘hitman’ of insects”(1). Within the article, Lake makes various claims including the

following significant points:

- Assassin bugs kill ants and carries them around on their backs.

- The insects are considerably small, measuring one centimeter or less in length.

- Assassin bugs prey on ants by injecting a lethal enzyme into the ants, and proceed

to suck out their insides.

In what follows, these claims will be touched on with additional information about the

assassin bug.
ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT? 4

Section 1: Do assassin bugs exist?

Through the research of more than a few articles on the evolution, morphology and

ecological distribution of assassin bugs, it appears that the species of insect do indeed exist. The

bugs have a relatively large range of optimum habitats and varied prey selection. They have been

known not only on ants, buy on caterpillars, spiders, crickets and other insects. These facts

support Lake’s claims, however the way in which the article is written highlights one specific

species of the insect, portraying it as the only one. Assassin bugs of the Holoptilinae subfamily

match the description of the article, “...the feather-legged bugs, attract ants to imbibe paralyzing

secretions before killing their prey” (Hwang & Weirauch, 2012). The feather-legged description

matches that of the photo provided. The secretions described also support the claim of assassin

bugs injecting enzymes into their ant prey. The insects possess a saliva which is toxic to its

victims, containing a combination of both small and large peptides which work to immobilize the

prey (Adachi-Akahanee et al., 2001). The size given in the article, less than a centimeter, proves

also to be correct by technicality, however, misleading. Many species of the assassin bug reach a

size greater than an inch, and only few of them range below 40 millimeters. Within their given

environments, assassin bugs are most often found in the bark of trees, or dwelling in the foliage

of various shrubbery.

Section 2a: How do Assassin bugs secure their prey? Are assassin bugs a threat

to human safety?

Assassin bugs utilize an interesting series of tactics to secure their prey that varies across

the species. These tactics include stalking the prey, using mimicry to confuse them, and/or
ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT? 5

cutting through spider webs. Additionally, they also coat their fore legs with sticky plant resins

for easier grasp.3 Studies have also found that these spider-hunting insects naturally choose

routes in which to be least detected by the spider they are hoping to secure.4 E.D. Yong’s study

found the following:

A good predator must be as cunning as it is strong, especially when its

prey can turn the tables and kill it. The assassin bug has learned this well,

becoming a master of deception in its hunt for spiders. Last year biologist Anne

Wignall from Australia's Macquarie University discovered that the bug lures food

by strumming webs with its legs, mimicking the vibrations of a trapped fly. Now

she has found that the insects exploit the weather by stalking spiders in the wind.

(p. 14).

Assassin bugs of the Triatominae subfamily, commonly known as ‘the kissing bugs,’ thrive on

vertebrate blood and serve as the parasites of the species. These species have been known to

cause harm to humans by feeding on their blood and spreading various diseases. This is as close

as this insect seems to get regarding human insafety. It is doubtful that these insects would be

found consuming human flesh in whole or parts to a life-threatening extent.

References

Chłond, D., & Bugaj‐Nawrocka, A. (2015). Assassin bugs of the subfamily Diaspidiinae

(Heteroptera: Reduviidae): distribution and potential ecological niches. Entomological

Science, 18(3), 389-399. doi:10.1111/ens.12137

3
Hwang, W. S., Weirauch, C., & Crandall, K. A. (2012). Evolutionary History of Assassin Bugs (Insecta:
Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights from Divergence Dating and Ancestral State Reconstruction. Plos ONE,
7(9), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045523
4
Soley, F. f., & Taylor, P. W. (2012). Araneophagic assassin bugs choose routes that minimize risk of
detection by web-building spiders. Animal Behaviour, 84(2), 315-321.
ASSASSIN BUGS: REAL OR NOT? 6

Corzo, G., Adachi-Akahane, S., Nagao, T., Kusui, Y., & Nakajima, T. (2001). Novel

peptides from assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae): isolation, chemical and biological

characterization. FEBS Letters, 499 (3), 256-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-

5793(01)02558-3

Hwang, W. S., Weirauch, C., & Crandall, K. A. (2012). Evolutionary History of Assassin

Bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights from Divergence Dating and Ancestral

State Reconstruction. Plos ONE, 7(9), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0045523

Lake, F. (2012). ASSASSIN BUG. Weekly World News. Retrieved from

http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/47522/assassin-bug/

Soley, F. G., & Taylor, P. W. (2013). Ploys and counterploys of assassin bugs and their

dangerous spider prey. Behaviour, 150(3/4), 397-425. doi:10.1163/1568539X-00003059

Soley, F. f., & Taylor, P. W. (2012). Araneophagic assassin bugs choose routes that minimize

risk of detection by web-building spiders. Animal Behaviour, 84(2), 315-321.

Stein, J. (2007). Requiem for Bat Boy. Time, 170(9), 66-66.

YONG, E. D. (2011). The Wind-Cloaked Spider Assassin. Discover, 32(10), 14.