Pale Green Assassin Bug

Media
Pale green assassin bug on a leaf
Scientific Name
Zelus luridus
Family
Reduviidae (assassin bugs) in the order Hemiptera (true bugs)
Description

The pale green assassin bug, Zelus luridus, is one of nearly 200 species of assassin bugs in North America. The body is green. The wings may be tan or brown. The leg joints are often reddish. There are a pair of spines on the back corners of the shieldlike shoulder plate. The species name, luridus, means "lurid" in the sense of sallow or ghastly. Learn more about this and other members of the assassin bug family on their family page.

Size

Length: to about ¾ inch.

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About Land Invertebrates in Missouri
Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including earthworms, slugs, snails, and arthropods. Arthropods—invertebrates with “jointed legs” — are a group of invertebrates that includes crayfish, shrimp, millipedes, centipedes, mites, spiders, and insects. There may be as many as 10 million species of insects alive on earth today, and they probably constitute more than 90 percent all animal species.