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Sticker of Four-spurred assassin bug
Bug card No. 1758 of 4,939

Four-spurred assassin bug

Zelus tetracanthus
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsTrue bugs and cicadasGardens and meadows6 legs

The four-spurred assassin bug is a slim brown, black or grey bug with long thin legs and long feelers. It has a row of four little spikes across its back. It is a sneaky hunter that catches other insects.

Lives in
North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, in gardens and fields
Length
1 to 1.6 cm (0.39 to 0.63 in)
Top speed
about 0.23 km/h (0.14 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can bite

Watch out! Read about its close cousin on Venom Wiki →

What does it eat?
It catches insects using a sticky goo, like glue on its legs.
For real!Photo of Four-spurred assassin bug
Picture by Christina Butler from Georgia, United States. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Four-spurred assassin bug about 1.6 cm long (0.63 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 2.5 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 16 seconds

How big is Four-spurred assassin bug compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Both the grown-ups and the babies use sticky goo to catch their food.

2

Its name tetracanthus means four spines, after the four spurs on its back.

3

It is about 1 to 1.6 centimetres long.

you asked

Most asked questions about Four-spurred assassin bug

?What does the assassin bug eat?

Other insects, which it catches with sticky goo.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Zelus tetracanthus
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Reduviidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Reduviidae
Lives on
North America, South America

Where the facts come from

  1. Zelus tetracanthus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Christina Butler from Georgia, United States. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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