Order: Hemiptera
Family: Reduviidae
Genus: Pselliopus
Pselliopus barberi is an assassin bug (Family Reduviidae), and is common along the east coast and in the southeastern United States. It is frequently found on flowers or foliage in the spring and fall. Like other assassin bugs, is predatory and feeds on other insects. It is very similar in appearance and biology to Pselliopus cinctus. Pselliopus barberi overwinters as an adult, usually sheltering under bark, rotting logs, or stones. There is one generation per year. Breeding usually occurs March-May and he eggs are deposited in loose, circular clusters. The nymphs emerge June-August and it takes about 85 days after the egg hatches for it to develop into an adult. Pselliopus is sometimes parasitized by Xanthomelanodes arcuatus, a fly in the family Tachinidae.
Pselliopus barberi on Bugguide.net
Pselliopus genus on Wikipedia
A guide for distinguishing P. barberi from P. cinctus
Sources
(1)Bouseman, J. K. An Additional Record of Prey for Pselliopus barberi (Hemiptera:Reduviidae).Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol 49 (1976), p.384.
(2) Kaufman, K., E. R. Eaton. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. (2007), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
(3) Swadener, S.O., T.R. Yonke.Immature Stages and Biology of Pselliopus cinctus and Pselliopus barberi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol. 48 (1975), pp.477-492.
(2) Kaufman, K., E. R. Eaton. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. (2007), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
(3) Swadener, S.O., T.R. Yonke.Immature Stages and Biology of Pselliopus cinctus and Pselliopus barberi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, vol. 48 (1975), pp.477-492.
