Holoptilinae | |
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Ant wolf or feather-legged bug, genus Holoptilus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hemiptera |
Suborder: | Heteroptera |
Superfamily: | Cimicomorpha |
Family: | Reduviidae |
Subfamily: | Holoptilinae |
Tribes | |
The Holoptilinae are a subfamily of Reduviidae (assassin bugs) known as feather-legged bugs or ant wolves. Several members of the subfamily specialize on ants. About 16 genera (one fossil) are known, with about 80 species described. Species in the Holoptilini tribe possess a specialized organ called a trichome to attract ants.
Current phylogeny proposes three tribes - Aradellini, Dasycnemini, and Holoptilini.