Apiomerus flaviventris
| Apiomerus flaviventris | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Family: | Reduviidae |
| Genus: | Apiomerus |
| Species: | A. flaviventris |
| Binomial name | |
| Apiomerus flaviventris Herrich-Schaeffer, 1846 | |
Apiomerus flaviventris, a bee assassin bug, is an insect that feeds on bees. It is found in arid and semi-arid southwestern North America. This bee assassin is known to extract plant resins and apply them as defensive chemicals to its eggs, protecting the eggs from predation, especially by ants but possibly also other species. Female A. flaviventris collect resin from brittlebush, Encelia farinosa Gray ex Torr. (Asteraceae).
References
- Use of Plant Resin by a Bee Assassin Bug, Apiomerus flaviventris (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100(2):320-326. 2007