Bee Killer Assassin Bug
Pristhesancus plagipennis
Identification: Length 25 mm. Head elongated with a curved rostrum beneath. Yellowish-brown with slender legs. Bases of wings yellowish-brown, tips transparent.
Habitat and Range: Open forest and woodland. Widespread in eastern Qld and NSW.
Notes: A slow-moving predator that lurks among foliage and on flowers to ambush other insects as food. Prey is impaled on the bug's rostrum and killed by digestive enzymes that liquefy the body tissues. The same enzymes cause intense pain in humans.
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