Pennsylvania Ambush Bug

Phymata pennsylvanica · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Reduviidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Pennsylvania Ambush Bug
Photo: unknown, CC0

The Pennsylvania ambush bug lives in North America. It hunts and eats the hoverfly Syritta pipiens.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

It is found in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It occurs in North America.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It preys on the common hoverfly Syritta pipiens.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its native range is North America.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Hampshire, Indiana.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Pennsylvania Ambush Bug photo 3
Photo: unknown, CC0
Pennsylvania Ambush Bug photo 4
Photo: Kurt lindhult, CC BY-SA
Pennsylvania Ambush Bug photo 5
Photo: Theo Rickert, CC BY
Pennsylvania Ambush Bug photo 6
Photo: Juan C. Espinosa, CC BY

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/Phymata_pennsylvanica

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.