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Ant Damselbug Lat. “Himacerus mirmicoides“
species of family “Damsel Bugs“
1 species

Himacerus mirmicoides, common name ant damsel bug, is a species of damsel bugs belonging to the family Nabidae, subfamily Nabinae.

Etymology

The name “mirmicoides” comes from the similarity of nymphs in the early instars to ants.

Distribution

These bugs can be found in most of Europe.

Habitat

These bugs can be found on the ground, in low herbage and in dry open areas.

Description

Himacerus mirmicoides can reach a length of 7–8 millimetres (0.28–0.31 in). These bugs have a brown body with a black connexivum showing orange-red spots. They are partly-winged, with quite reddish wings. This species is rather similar to Himacerus apterus, but it is smaller, with shorter antennae and longer wings. Moreover, the hairs on the hind tibiae are shorter. The nymphs resemble ants and the appearance of a typical hymenopteran “waist” is created by the paler coloration of the back of the thorax, contrasting with the rest of the body which is mainly black.

Biology

Adults can be found all year around. Mating and egg-laying begins in spring with the new generation occurring in August.

Further reading

Kerzhner I.M., 1996 – Family Nabidae – Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region

Picture story about the biology and behaviour of Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides (in German) Biolib

Ant Damselbug – No. 1 Ant Damselbug – No. 2 Ant Damselbug – No. 3 Ant Damselbug – No. 4 Ant Damselbug – No. 5 Ant Damselbug – No. 6

Ancestry Graph

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Further Information

Copyright

Wikipedia

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Himacerus mirmicoides the free encyclopedia Wikipedia which is released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License). On Wikipedia a list of authors is available.