Predatory Stink Bug

no need to apologize, Stephen. I appreciate very much your comment and the comment the bayucca with links.

Thank you for your comment, cristina. great info. all bugs are welcome in my garden. but not cockroaches.

Sorry Sckel, I didn't mean to make you concerned. You found a wonderful bug and should be proud of your need to experiment. Thanks Bayucca for the data

Did you know that these carnivores are great for your garden because they eat the bad bugs in your garden. (Fact from 2nd grade class)

Sckel, my comment was mostly as info for Stephen, but I am glad, that you are informed about your risks in Brazil and it is always something between panic and decent dealing with such bugs. Personally I prefer the latter ;-)...

Calm, I'm not so reckless. Sorry .I do not underestimate any insect. I just wanted to feel how powerful it can be the rostrum. There seems to, but I am cautious. We have Triatoma infestans in Brazil, but I've never seen one. And when we find Triatoma, we can not kill them, we have to take them for 'Posto de Informação de Triatomíneos' or 'Secretaria Municipal de Saúde'. Thanks pelos links, bay.

Yes, Stephen, Reduviidae specially the ones from the subfamily Triatominae, should not be underestimated. They are the vector for example the protozoa which can induce the Chagas-disease:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_dise...
Most common vector for Trypanosoma cruzi is Triatoma infestans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triatoma_in...

Sckel, I don't know about this one or your region but some assassin bugs do carry dangerous viruses, or was that parasites? No, it was viruses.

I do not have much fear because they are not venomous, right? I wanted to feel the intensity of the bite. Should not be worse than injection of benzathine benzylpenicillin in the arm. I'm not a masochist, and would not recommend what I said. :)

The only thing I can immagine is that these "flags" are used as clasps to "catch" and hold the female during copulation. I have seen this in some wasps.

I have never seen this before. I see you put the bug on your hand/finger.
You just be careful.

Me too, Sckel, I have been trying to think why it would have evolved legs like that. It is very neat! We need to see a bunch of both males and females to see if it might be a sexually induced characteristic. I can't see how it would benefit the insect in it's activities. It does look scarier maybe?

thanks, bayucca. thanks, lauren. I would like more information about this bug funny legs;

This one is just soooo cool! I never saw one with leaf-like structures on the front legs.

Should be a Pentatomidae and could be Asopinae? Predatory Stink Bug.
Just an example for the flag-like forelegs (!):
http://bugguide.net/node/view/395715/bgp...