Masked Bedbug-Hunter

(Reduvius personatus), also masked hunter, a bug of the family Reduviidae. The masked bedbug-hunter is 16–19 mm long and has a brown or almost black coloration. It is found in almost all areas, primarily in the tropics and subtropics. The insect is only occasionally encountered in temperate zones. In the USSR it is found in the southern zone and, less frequently, in the central zone. The masked bedbug-hunter infests dwellings, warehouses, and other buildings. It is a nocturnal predator. The bug is a beneficial insect, since it feeds on small insects, including houseflies. The masked bedbug-huńter pricks its prey with its proboscis and feeds by sucking.