Wandering yesterday through the marshy area of Huntley Meadows Park, I spotted a large bug perched near the top of one of the cattails. I could not really see for sure what it was and it flew away as soon as I took one photo. When I opened the image on my computer, I saw that I had captured an image of a strange-looking bug that seemed to have the blade of a circular saw embedded in its back.
It did not take much of a search on the internet for me to discover that it is a wheel bug (Arilus cristatus). The University of Florida Entomology Department website notes that the wheel bug is an assassin bug that administers a very painful bite, described as worse than the bite of a bee, wasp, or hornet. Wheel bug saliva contains a toxic, paralytic substance that immobilizes and kills its victims (caterpillars, bees, aphids, and other insects) usually within 15 to 30 seconds after injection.
Personally, I think this insect looks like a miniature dinosaur or something out of a low-budget science fiction movie. In any case, it is certainly one of the strangest looking creatures that I have ever encountered.
Wheel bug surveys the situation from a cattail
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Mike,
Love it! Last year I was sitting near the pond trying to shoot dragonflies when I became aware of something nearer. Yes, it was a wheel bug! I took several shots and gradually realized they were all around me! I posted one to my blog, too. I love the prehistoric look of it!
~Kyle
If you are interested, here is the link to my post about the wheel bug. http://fromthebackforty.com/2012/01/28/holy-canoli-what-is-that/
It’s so exciting that you got a photo of one!
Wow. your reaction to this was about the same as mine, though you were a whole lot closer to yours than I was. I really liked your post (and your photo is great, especially since you alos got the assassinated bug in the shot).
Assassin bugs are just plain nasty. I’ve been bitten, when I incautiously picked one up, not knowing what it was, but I sure do now. It hurt for hours. Fascinating, yes–but don’t get too close!
From everything that I have heard and read, I’m happy that I took the shot with my telephoto lens, not my macro.
Now thats a cool bug!!! Excellent macro for a quick shot..:-)
Sometimes you get lucky when you have only a single shot. I can’t tell you the number of shots I’ve lost because I was adjusting my settings. (It happens to us all if we choose to photograph things that move.)
Amen to that, birds are a pain in the butt too..:-)
I’ve never heard of this one. Interesting!