Ptilocnemus lemur Feather Legged AssassinI have been wanting to see one of these assassin bugs for about three years now, so I was quite pleased to find one on the weekend. It was sitting on a tree trunk where there was no bark. Its camouflage was very good as its head and thorax matched the colour of the tree trunk. I noticed it because it was waving its feathery hind legs as an ant walked past. They are so fascinating.It is thought that the assassin bug attract and paralyze ants. The ant initially attracts the ant by waving its legs, then lifts its body to enable the ants to move under its body to enable the ant to reach the paralyzing secretions released from glands on its sternum. The assassin then pierces the body of the ant to feed.See:
Farhan's blog Photo: Fred
