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Sticker of Western corsair bug
Bug card No. 4669 of 4,939

Western corsair bug

Rasahus thoracicus
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsTrue bugs and cicadasDeserts and dry places6 legs

The western corsair is an orange and black assassin bug with long, shiny legs. Each wing has one big orange or red spot, and when the wings are folded the two spots look like one. It hunts other insects at night.

Lives in
The west of the USA, especially warm parts of California
Length
1.8 to 2.3 cm (0.71 to 0.91 in)
Top speed
about 0.28 km/h (0.17 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can bite
It only bites if someone grabs it roughly, but the bite really hurts and can give a headache for days. Look, but never pick it up.
What does it eat?
It hunts caterpillars, beetle larvae, bees, lacewings, ladybirds and other bugs, and sucks out their juices with its beak.
For real!Photo of Western corsair bug
Picture by Katja Schulz. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Western corsair bug about 2.3 cm long (0.91 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 4 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 13 seconds

How big is Western corsair bug compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its front legs are bigger than the others, which helps it hold on to prey.

2

At night it flies to bright lights, because lots of insects gather there to eat.

3

The sides of its tummy have a black and yellow checkered pattern.

4

Its bite does not spread Chagas disease. That is spread by some of its cousins, not by the corsair.

5

Its babies grow up in five steps and turn straight into winged adults, with no cocoon stage.

you asked

Most asked questions about Western corsair bug

?Is the western corsair dangerous?

Its bite is very painful, but it only bites when handled roughly. If you leave it alone, it leaves you alone.

?What does the western corsair eat?

Other insects, like caterpillars, beetle larvae, bees and even ladybirds.

?When can you see a western corsair?

Mostly on summer and autumn evenings, from July to October, often near lights.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Rasahus thoracicus
Group
True bugs and cicadas
Family
Reduviidae
Classification
Insecta > Hemiptera > Reduviidae
Lives on
North America
Also known as
Western corsair, Two-spotted corsair

Where the facts come from

  1. Western corsair (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 Katja Schulz. 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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