The world of venom exhibition of Terra Natura Benidorm has incorporated a colony of assassin bugs (Platymeris biguttatus). These insects get their striking name because of the way they eat their prey. Bedbugs eat other insects by injecting their saliva with toxins and enzymes through their trunk. The enzymes they inject liquefy the tissues of their prey and turn them into a kind of pulp, which they suck up to feed.

Bedbugs are not very aggressive and their venom is not lethal to humans, although the bite is painful and can cause allergic reactions and leave the affected area very resentful. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful when handling these insects, which are part of the Hemiptera family and are native to West Africa.

The group of bugs will inhabit inside the volcano within the arthropod domes. This is the first time that this species has arrived at Terra Natura Benidorm. Its incorporation into the sample of poisonous creatures aims to expand the biodiversity that the park has. The terrarium where they will live will have trunks, bark and substrates to provide hiding places for the youngest specimens, and thus prevent cannibalism which happens between older and smaller specimens.

The terrarium will have adequate ventilation to adjust the correct parameters of temperature, humidity and light for this African species. When this species feels threatened, throws a defensive and dissuasive liquid out of its trunk. Thanks to their legs covered with sensitive hairs, they cling tightly to the prey they are going to eat, even if they are larger than them.

In Africa they are also known as kissing bugs, as they often bite humans on the lips or eyelids at night.