| Platymeris biguttatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Reduviidae |
| Genus: | Platymeris |
| Species: | P. biguttatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Platymeris biguttatus (Linnaeus, 1767) |
|
Platymeris biguttatus is a venomous predatory true bug of west and southwest African origin ranging in size from 10–40 mm.[1] As a true bug of the order hemiptera, it has needle like mouth parts designed for sucking juices out of plants or other insects instead of chewing. P. biguttatus has sharp stylets in its proboscis or rostrum used to pierce the exoskeleton of its prey. Saliva is then injected into the prey which liquifies its tissues,and the rostrum is then used to suck out the digested fluids. If disturbed, it is capable of a defensive bite considered to be more painful than a bee sting.[2] It is also known to spit venom that can cause temporary blindness in humans.
Prey typically consists of cockroaches, crickets, flies, darkling beetles and caterpillars.[3]
It was thought that they breed both sexually and through parthenogenesis, this however has recently been proved to not be true. Whilst unmated females will lay eggs, they are infertile. Development takes six to nine months from egg to adult and life span for the adult is about two years. The first molt occurs at about two weeks[4] Development is hemimetabolous, meaning that there is no metamorphosis between a larval phase and an adult phase. The young are called nymphs, and appear to be small adults.
Common names include white-eyed assassin bug, twin spotted assassin bug and white spot assassin bug referring to the two large white spots on the wings.[5]
Tropical Africa: Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, Niger et. al. in humid tropical forest, particularly hollow tree stumps and decaying logs.[2]
Due to their ability to both bite and spray venom, Assassin Bugs are not recommended for the novice invertebrate keeper. For the more experienced keeper they make for a truly fascinating addition to ones collection. 10 adults can comfortably be kept in a terrarium measuring 30x30x30cm. Whilst they will do fine at room temperature, they will be more active and develop quicker if kept around 26°-29°; this can be achieved using a heat bulb from above. Ensure that your terrarium has adequate ventilation. Use a mixture of coir/eco earth and sand as a substrate. Use pieces of wood or rock to provide vertical climbing spaces. Providing that you have at least one of each sex they will readily breed without any form of conditioning. You can leave the eggs to hatch within the terrarium; this will require you to moisten the substrate on a regular basis as the eggs need to be kept humid. The easier method is to remove them and incubate at 29° and around 85% humidity. The best way of achieving this is to get a small plastic tub, line with tissue, place eggs on top of the tissue and spray every couple of days, keep somewhere hot and your eggs will hatch in 5-7 weeks (6 on average). Feed appropriate sized food to newly hatched nymphs and adjust the prey size as the nymphs grow.