Stats

Lifespan: About 1 yr
Size: Large
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The wheel bug is the largest assassin bug in North America, instantly recognizable by the semicircular, gear-like crest on its thorax that resembles a cogwheel. It ambushes prey — including caterpillars far larger than itself — injecting paralytic saliva that dissolves tissue within seconds.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Reduviidae
Genus: Arilus
Species: Arilus cristatus