Horrid King Assasin Bug

The Horrid King Assassin Bug (Psyttala horrida) is a large predatory insect native to tropical western Africa. It is the largest known assassin bug, reaching up to 4.5 cm in body length. Its striking appearance — a spiny black and red body — makes it stand out among its kind.

Like other assassin bugs, it is an ambush predator, waiting silently in vegetation before striking with lightning speed. Using its strong legs to hold prey, it pierces them with a needle-like mouthpart called a rostrum. The bug injects saliva that both paralyzes and liquefies the insides of its prey, which it then sucks up as a nutrient-rich meal.