Zelus longipes (Linnaeus, 1767) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) as a predator of Apis mellifera L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Brazil

Abstract

Zelus longipes (Linnaeus 1767) is an insect known as an assassin bug (Reduviidae) member of the subfamily Harpactorinae. Its distribution includes southern North America, Central America, and South America (except Chile), and especially in agroecosystems in Brazil. Z. longipes has been considered a potential biocontrol agent, as it prefers the caterpillars of Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), which is a pest moth of corn fields. This article aims to describe the predatism of Z. longipes on the prey Apis mellifera L., 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Terminalia mantaly Perrier (Combretaceae). During the collection of flies with an entomological net in the urban area of the Federal University of Goiás, in November 2017, the stink bug of the species Z. longipes was collected carrying in its trunk a specimen of A. mellifera in an almond tree known as the Madagascar almond tree of the species T. mantaly, also called Sete Copas.