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Phymata pennsylvanica
Phymata is derived from the Greek "Phyma", which means tumor or swelling--and one can see why this strange, armored, lumpy-looking insect got its name. Length is about 3/8". Front legs are configured for grasping, much like the mantids. There are 17 species in North America.
I photographed this ambush bug on a goldenrod growing in an old field. They tend to like to lie in ambush for their insect prey on yellow flowers, such as goldenrod and will take large, dangerous prey such as bees.
Spotted on Aug 22, 2012
Submitted on Aug 22, 2012
1 Comment
Nice detail on this image.