Rhynocoris iracundus

Assassin thread-legged bug. Rhynocoris iracundus is an assassin and thread-legged bug belonging to the family Reduviidae, subfamily Harpactorinae. The species was first described by Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus in 1761. Rhynocoris iracundus differs in colour from R. erythropus in that the sides of the abdomen in R. erythropus are yellow/orange and black, instead of the red and black seen in R. iracundus. In general, the front lobe of the pronotum of R. iracundus is broadly blackened, while in R. rubricus it is red. Furthermore, R. iracundus has narrower red stripes on its legs and abdomen. The base of scutellum is twice as long as the height.

The Reduviidae are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera (true bugs). Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators: most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main examples of nonpredatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable; they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and formidable curved proboscis (sometimes called a rostrum). Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.