Striped assassin bug
This small assassin bug feeds on other insects through a piercing beak, and can jab a person's skin and cause sharp, sudden pain if handled carelessly.
| Where | Grasslands and trees, East and Southeast Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | 13 to 19 mm body length |
| When | April to September |
The Striped assassin bug is a slender black insect with reddish brown to yellowish stripes along the legs and the edge of the abdomen, and a piercing beak folded beneath the head when not in use.
It hunts other insects such as leaf beetles and caterpillars on grasses and low plants, piercing them with its beak to feed on their body fluids, and if picked up carelessly it can jab a person's skin hard enough to cause sharp pain.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Black, White, Orange
Active
Day
To people
Take care
Can jab a person's skin with its beak and cause sharp pain if handled; not aggressive unless provoked.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Larger, about 16 to 24 mm long, with a glossy black body, no red markings, and broad, flared white and black spotted abdominal edges that project past the folded wings, unlike the banded legs of the Striped assassin bug.
Questions
Is the Striped assassin bug dangerous to people?
Take care. Can jab a person's skin with its beak and cause sharp pain if handled; not aggressive unless provoked.
When can you see the Striped assassin bug?
The Striped assassin bug can be seen from April to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Rainer Breitling, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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True bugs›Assassin bugs›Sphedanolestes
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.