July 25th, 2006
meet the phymata
This post is long overdue. I’ve been meaning to introduce everyone to an insect that has been of long-standing interest to me. Originally, I’d planned this first piece on Ambush Bugs to be fact-filled and technical, but I’m feeling a little lazy this afternoon, so consider this to be a more personal introduction. By the way, you’ll probably being seeing quite a lot of these creatures in the coming weeks.
No, it’s not Godzilla, nor is it the Incredible Hulk in the above photo. It’s a nymph stage Ambush Bug (Phymata species), which belongs to the Family Phymatidae, which, in turn, are members of the Order Hemiptera (True Bugs). Likely as not that you’ve never actually seen one of these small characters, even though you’ve probably been within arm’s length of one on many occasions. Their camouflage is so effective that you really must look for them — although once you get the hang of it, I assure you that you’ll be seeing them everywhere you look. That’s the stage I’m at. To me, the whole world seems to be filled with Ambush bugs (and no, don’t worry, this is not a psychosis).
So, what do they look like and how will you find them?
The adults are about 1 cm. long (about 3/8 of an inch). They range in colour from green, through pale greenish-white, to yellow, to deep gold. They have a few darker markings on their bodies — with males having more dark areas than females (usually the male’s head is dark while the female’s is the same colour as her body). Females are larger than the males. The below photo is of Phymata with a pale whitish-green body. As you can see, she and the above Phymata nymph are standing on their two hind pairs of legs. Their bodies are raised in a very characteristic pose. The front pair of legs are powerful and have claw-like tibiae which are used to capture and grasp prey. Their heads and bodies have a jagged reptilian look about them.
As mentioned above, they are well camouflaged. They like to hang out atop flowers — in those places frequented by bees, wasps, hover flies, moths, and other insects attracted by the pollen or nectar. When in position, hunkered down in the middle of a yarrow flower, or Queen Anne’s Lace, or on a frond of Goldenrod, they are practically invisible (except, of course, to me). The above adult was photographed atop Queen Anne’s Lace – its white body blending with the flower. Below, I’ve posted another shot of an adult on a Brown-eyed Susan flower, and as you can see, its yellow colour closely matches that of the bloom where it has chosen to lie in wait.
Crouching patiently, they are incredibly effective “ambush” hunters and kill large numbers of insects. If you want to see just how successful they are, take a wander around through any oldfield pasture in midsummer and watch for bees, wasps, or other insects that don’t seem to be moving around over the flowers. On closer examination, you’ll probably find that the insect is in the grip of a Phymata, as in the case of this bee mimic fly that I found dangling from a Meadowsweet flower yesterday. If you look closely at the image, you should be able to find a pale green Phymata hidden within the flower, gripping the fly while feeding on its prey with its sharp proboscis.
Okay, there is plenty more that I can tell you about these insects — after all, I’ve been studying and photographing them for three or four summers — but I’ll leave it for another day. In the meantime, do take a look around and see if you can find a Phymata or two. However, one warning — Do not pick up this insect! Although it’s somewhat unlikely to bite, it is apparently capable of stabbing with it proboscis and then secreting a paralyzing saliva as is done with its prey. From what I’ve read, this substance can cause severe irritation and some tissue damage — so better to play it safe and just observe rather than handle these insects. More on the Phymata coming up sometime very soon.
Tags: Phymata, Ambush Bug