Bug FAQEmesaya brevipennis
Emesaya brevipennis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Reduviidae
Emesaya brevipennis occurs in three subspecies across North America north of Mexico. It steals prey from spiders and also hunts spiders, and it may eat members of its own species at any life stage. The species develops through five immature stages before becoming an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
All three subspecies live in North America north of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It has been observed stealing prey from spiders and preying on spiders themselves. Both larvae and adults may attack and eat other individuals of the same species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The bug passes through five instar stages before reaching adulthood.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Emesaya brevipennis is native to North America north of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, New York, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does Emesaya brevipennis eat?
It steals prey from spiders, hunts spiders, and can also eat other members of its own species.
Source: Wikipedia
How many growth stages does it have?
It goes through five instar stages before becoming an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Emesaya brevipennis found?
All three subspecies occur in North America north of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Reduviidae)
North American Wheel BugArilus cristatusCan bite
Leafhopper Assassin BugZelus renardiiCan bite
Masked HunterReduvius personatusCan bite
Eastern Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma sanguisugaCan spread germs or disease
Western Bloodsucking ConenoseTriatoma protractaCan spread germs or disease
Pale Green Assassin BugZelus luridusCan biteSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emesaya_brevipennis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.