Sphedanolestes impressicollis is a slender black-and-white assassin bug that hunts small insects such as leaf beetles and ladybugs. It is not found in the United States; it lives across East Asia and in parts of Southeast Asia and India.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Slender with long legs. Glossy black with white markings; the edges of the abdomen show black-and-white bands beyond the folded wings, and each leg has pale rings.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Grasslands
- Trees and shrubs
- Range
- East Asia: throughout China and South Korea; Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan; Taiwan; and parts of Vietnam, Laos, and India. Not known from North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Lives on grasses and trees from lowlands up into the mountains.
Behavior
- Diet
- Small insects, including leaf beetles, the seven-spotted ladybug, and small moths and butterflies.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Like other assassin bugs, it can deliver a painful stab with its beak if handled.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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