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Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Harvesting Venom Toxins from Assassin Bugs and Other Heteropteran Insects
Published on: April 21, 2018
A new cavernicolous assassin bug from the Canary Islands (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Collartidini)
Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou1, Petr Baa2, Daniel Surez3
1Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. lrdreduvius@yahoo.gr.
Abstract:
The Canary Archipelago is home to two species of obligately cavernicolous assassin bugs of the genus Collartida Villiers, 1949 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Collartidini). These species are highly adapted for cave life, being blind and wingless. In the present study, we describe a new species of the genus, C. phantasma sp. nov. from the Federica mine in Gran Canaria. C. phantasma sp. nov. differs from the other two Collartida species found in the Canary Archipelago in that the male is fully winged, the female is wingless, and both sexes have well-developed eyes. We provide information regarding the new species habitat, its taxonomic affinities, and its ability to fly.

