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Stenolemus assassin bugs

Assassin bugs are dangerous predators, and some of the most fascinating of them all belong to the Stenolemus genus.

2 Australian Stenolemus bugs, Stenolemus bituberus and Stenolemus giraffa, hunt spiders using a predatory tactic known as aggressive mimicry (where the predator mimics another organism that is beneficial, or at least harmless, to the prey).

These 2 species hunt spiders by pretending to be an insect caught in the spider web. The bug lures the spider towards it by plucking the silk, sending vibrations throughout the web to the spider. The spider is fooled into thinking that the bug is food caught in its web and follows the vibrations toward the bug. When the spider is close enough, the bug stabs it with its sharp beak, killing it, and then proceeds to suck out insides of the spider using the beak like a straw.