Cicadas (Melampsalta leucoptera)

19/09/2012 Update on name - Thanks to Martin for the identification.

Cicadas have to be amongst the most difficult insects to find. Although you hear them constantly, their sound seems to echo and you can never pinpoint exactly where they are.

For more information, click on this link.

 Else, the sound stops when you get close and it is absolutely useless searching in the grass to find them. They tend to hide in amongst the roots so finding this one was a stroke of pure luck.

 This one, like so many species I find, at first pretended to be dead, but I know that trick by now and am not fooled by it. :)

 He is about 5cm (about 1/2 an inch) in body length. The male of each species of cicada has a specific call to attract females.

 To quote Field Guide to Insects of South Africa:

“Males have a pair of circular sound-producing organs (tymbals) that appear as 2 rounded membranes on either side of the abdomen, each reinforced with a strong circular ring. A muscle attached to the centre contracts and the recoil produces a click, rapid contraction of these muscles produces a shrill continuous noise.”

Millipede Assassin Bug (Ectrichodia crux) Reduviidae

 

 They are medium sized and found throughout South Africa with metalic bluish black or dark brown with red, orange or cream markings.

 The females are wingless and look similar to the nymphs.

 They come out at night to feed, eating ants and possibly millipedes.

Cotton-stainer Assassin (Dysdercus nigrofasiatus) Pyrrhocoridae

Assassin bugs are ambush predators that move slowly towards their prey before rushing out and grabbing with the forelegs, injecting a secretion from the rostrum that has a quick paralytic action. The prey is then sucked dry. The bite is very painful to humans.

They are large, about 1 inch, in length.
The eggs are laid in a ring around a plant stem.

Will the real Cotton-Stainer please stand up. :)

Milkweed Bug (Spilostethus rivularis) Lygaeidae

Small bugs just over 1cm un length who get there name from feeding on the seeds of various milkweed plants.

 

Spittle bugs - Ceropidae

The nymphs live in a ball of spittle produced by mixing air with anal secretions derived from plant sap.
The spittle protects them from predators and drying out.
Some live underground on the roots of plants, others on grasses, shrubs and trees.

They are medium sizd with a cone shape head and rounded eyes.

Sometimes they are called froghoppers.

Twig Wilter and eggs (Carlisis wahlbergi) Family Coreidae

The Wild Gardenia is in bloom and the bushes are invaded with these LARGE bugs (twig wilters). They are 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length!!

I was lucky so see this female laying her eggs on a branch, you can see it by the botom bug.

Their eggs are large too about 2-3 mm in length. The females stayed nearby to guard them.

It was definitely mating time.

Although they look like stink (shield) bugs, they belong to the family Cordeidae and not Tessaratomidae. The males do have stink glands though.

Moth Bug (Parapioxys jucundus) Family Eurybrachidae

These are so cute and it is the first time I have found one.
They belong to the family Eurybrachidae, this one is parapioxys jucundus and has a wingspan of up 3/4 inch.

Their coloring mimics some lichen on which they sit and so are not easily seen.

He was crawling on the inside of my fishtank so I managed to get some shots of his underside.

Flower Assassin (Rhinocoris segmentarius) Family Reduviidae

THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!!
This is a Flower Assassin (Rhinocoris segmentarius) and is just over an inch in length. They hunt bees and other prey from exposed sunny positions on vegetation and flowers. They can deliver a painful bite that produces numbness, nausea and general welts to humans. A paste of bicarbonate of soda relieves the symptoms which can last for months.
As some of you already know, I have a small fish tank which I have filled with sand in order to put some species in which I catch and can then take photographs documenting developments. I had caught this assassin bug and put him into it and then collected some beetles which I wanted to take pics of too. Without thinking of it, I put the beetle into the tank and this assassin bug jumped on it.

Within seconds, the beetle was dead.

He then proceeded to turn the beetle over and inserted its tongue inbetween the scales on the bottom of the beetle.

All assassin bugs suck out the insides of their prey and leave only the shell.