A photograph of a single Psyttala horrida (Horrid King Assassin Bug)
A photograph of a single Psyttala horrida (Horrid King Assassin Bug)

Psyttala horrida

$20.00
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The Horrid King Assassin Bug or Psyttala horrida is a gigantic hemipteran insect that embodies the definition of ‘metal’. If what you want out of a pet is winged but can’t fly, a black and red envenomating insect that gets upwards of 2-3 inches long, is covered in black spikes, and can take down prey twice its size, can also live in colonies of HUNDREDS of their brethren? Then you’ve come to the right place. This goth-as-hell bug is the most astonishing creature we own at Juice’s Arthropods, and availability is constantly scarce due to their breeding habits.

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The Horrid King Assassin Bug or Psyttala horrida is a gigantic hemipteran insect that embodies the definition of ‘metal’. If what you want out of a pet is winged but can’t fly, a black and red envenomating insect that gets upwards of 2-3 inches long, is covered in black spikes, and can take down prey twice its size, can also live in colonies of HUNDREDS of their brethren? Then you’ve come to the right place. This goth-as-hell bug is the most astonishing creature we own at Juice’s Arthropods, and availability is constantly scarce due to their breeding habits.

What’s the ideal diet for a Horrid King Assassin Bug? 

Assassin bugs of all types are from the order hemiptera, meaning they have a tubular proboscis-style mouth appendage called a “rostrum” which they impale into their food source, and eat the insides of their meal of choice. With assassin bugs, their meal will be crickets, dubia roaches, lobster roaches, silkworms, hornworms, mealworms, superworms, or any other non-flying creature. Assassin bugs get all of their nutrition and fluids from the feeders they eat, so gut loading high-moisture foods to your feeders ahead of their meal is important for the success of your colony.

How should I keep a Horrid King Assassin Bug?

With all Assassin bugs, we have identified that the Arboreal Bliss medium or larger enclosures tend to do better due to the upside down molting performed by the Assassin bugs. We highly recommend Cork Bark Rounds or Cork Bark Flats added to your cart, as they will need a place to hang from since they can’t climb the acrylic inherently, although they will attempt to. Alternatively, large Fossorial Fissure enclosures with only 2-3 inches of Royal Soil will also work well if you want a more condensed and less tall enclosure. Keep the soil bone dry, and add lots of items for them to climb upside on, and to clean up the leftover husks of their prey items, we’d highly recommend perusing our Isopods as well to act as a clean-up crew.

How long could a Horrid King Assassin Bug live for?

On average, the Horrid King Assassin Bug can live between 6 months to 2 years as an adult. However, this timeline has yet to be confirmed in captivity because they are mostly kept in colonies.