Common Assassin Bug

Pristhesancus plagipennis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Reduviidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Common Assassin Bug
Photo: Natasha Taylor, CC BY

Juvenile Common Assassin Bugs have a bright orange abdomen. They are native to Australia and belong to the genus Pristhesancus. They hunt other insects, including honey bees and the bronze orange garden pest.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Young bugs show a distinctive bright orange belly.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

They are sometimes called bee-killer assassin bugs because they prey on honey bees.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Their diet includes the bronze orange bug, a common garden pest. They also hunt honey bees.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Juvenile stages have a bright orange abdomen.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

This species is found in Australia and is part of the Pristhesancus genus.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Common Assassin Bug photo 3
Photo: Steve Kerr, CC BY

Questions people ask

What do the young look like?

Young ones have a bright orange abdomen.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is this bug from?

It is an Australian species in the genus Pristhesancus.

Source: Wikipedia

What does it eat?

It preys on honey bees and the bronze orange garden bug.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Reduviidae)

North American Wheel BugNorth American Wheel BugArilus cristatusCan biteLeafhopper Assassin BugLeafhopper Assassin BugZelus renardiiCan biteMasked HunterMasked HunterReduvius personatusCan biteEastern Bloodsucking ConenoseEastern Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma sanguisugaCan spread germs or diseaseWestern Bloodsucking ConenoseWestern Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma protractaCan spread germs or diseasePale Green Assassin BugPale Green Assassin BugZelus luridusCan bite

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pristhesancus_plagipennis

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.