Milkweed Assassin Bug

Zelus longipes · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Reduviidae

Also called: assassin bug

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Milkweed Assassin Bug
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY

The milkweed assassin bug, Zelus longipes, belongs to the assassin-bug family Reduviidae and the Harpactorinae subfamily. It lives in southern North America, Central America and most of South America, especially in agricultural areas of Brazil. It is a generalist predator that prefers small caterpillars and is used to control picture-winged flies that damage sweet corn in Florida.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Zelus longipes is an assassin bug in the Reduviidae family, subfamily Harpactorinae.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Its range includes southern North America, Central America and most of South America, especially in Brazilian agroecosystems.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It is a generalist predator used to control picture-winged flies that harm sweet corn in Florida. It prefers smaller caterpillars, likely to reduce injury risk while subduing prey.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Milkweed Assassin Bug photo 3
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY
Milkweed Assassin Bug photo 4
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY
Milkweed Assassin Bug photo 5
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY
Milkweed Assassin Bug photo 6
Photo: Sandra H Statner, CC BY

Questions people ask

Can it help control garden pests?

Yes, it preys on small caterpillars and picture-winged flies that damage crops.

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/Zelus_longipes

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.