Hoplistoscelis pallescens blog (updated 6/15/25)

Info on this species: Hoplistoscelis pallescens is a species of damsel bug in the Family Nabidae. These small hemipterans, which are very closely related to Assassin bugs (Family Reduviidae), are small ambush predators that resemble miniature Assassin bugs, using a piercing proboscis to impale and feed on small soft-bodied insects. H. pallescens has a large range that extends from the Mississippi River to the East Coast of the US, being especially prevalent in the Northeast.

I collected a group of 4-5 H. pallescens on 6/11/25.

Jun 15, 2025

All the individuals I collected measure around 6-8mm or 0.25-0.3in long, and they are all either adults or one molt away from maturity. I believe my group is all female; however, I hope I have some immature males, as I don’t have any winged H. pallescens.

These are predatory hemipterans that need small food, thus I am feeding them flightless D. melanogaster, which they are taking to nicely. I will probably feed them once a week. These guys are very interesting to watch feed, as they have raptorial forelegs which they use to grasp prey, similar to mantids.

I have this group of H. pallescens in a 32-oz tall Deli cup setup. Roughly 0.5in of coco fiber substrate, a small layer of sphagnum moss to keep in humidity on one side of the setup, and plenty of tall bark slabs. I keep their enclosure ventilated with many small holes on the lid. They sit under a grow light which runs around 10 hours of bright light a day and at around 75F.