''Himacerus apterus'', known as the tree damsel bug, is a species of damsel bug belonging to the family

Nabidae The insecta, insect family (biology), family Nabidae contains the damsel bugs. There are over 500 species in 20 genera. They are soft-bodied, elongate, winged terrestrial predators. Many damsel bugs catch and hold prey with their forelegs, sim ...

, subfamily Nabinae.

Description

The species is long for males and for females. It has black connexivum and orange-red spots with reddish-brown wings. It wingspan is

Distribution

It is found in most of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and southern and

central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. Between 1943 and 1989 the species was found in eastern

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Diet

The species feeds on

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

s and other small insects.

Ecology

Adults lay eggs in late summer on

plant stem A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaf, leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, engages ...

s which hatch in spring. Larvae are found from May to August.

References

External links

''Himacerus apterus'' on Nature Spot
Articles containing video clips Insects described in 1798 Nabidae Hemiptera of Europe Hemiptera of Asia {{Cimicomorpha-stub