Thread-legged Bug (Emesaya brevipennis)
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The Thread-legged Bug looks like a cross between a walking stick and a praying mantis. However, it is actually a member of the assassin bug family, Reduviidae. This group has only a few representatives in North America, and most of the other species are quite small. This one, however, measures approximately 1.8 inches in length. It is so slender that it easily blends in with foliage and it also tends to move slowly, camouflaging itself much the same as do walking sticks. When threatened, it holds its first pair of legs straight out in front of its head, enhancing the "stick" image. It does have wings, but seems to rarely use them. The photo below shows a close-up of the head and forelegs.
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Thread-legged bugs often enter spider webs and steal the entrapped insects. Their thin legs and small size (the nymph shown below is only about ½ inch long) enable them to avoid detection as they creep about within the web. They are most commonly found in the large, flat webs of funnel weavers.
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class: Insecta / order: Hemiptera / family: Reduviidae / genus: Emesaya / species: brevipennis
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