Ant-corpse assassin bug is a 4-star creature card from the Information Age. Some assassin bugs stack dead ants on their backs as a disguise.
Bonus by grade
| Grade | Copies needed | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 0 | +12% first-strike damage |
| Uncommon | 2 | +21.6% first-strike damage |
| Rare | 5 | +36% first-strike damage |
| Epic | 10 | +54% first-strike damage |
| Legendary | 20 | +84% first-strike damage |
Duplicates raise the grade: Uncommon at 2, Rare at 5, Epic at 10, Legendary at 20.
Codex
- Common: Assassin bugs are predators that stab prey with a sharp beak.
- Uncommon: Acanthaspis bugs hunt ants.
- Rare: They pile the empty bodies of their prey on their backs.
- Epic: The pile hides them from their own predators.
- Legendary: It may also help them sneak up on ants.
Field notes are reviewed regularly. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
Field guide
| Size | Not well known; the pile of ant bodies can be bigger than the bug |
| Nest | Cracks in the ground and mud walls, and old termite mounds |
| Diet | Mainly ants; also small flies, grasshoppers and beetles |
| Defence | Corpse mask; a grabbed nymph can slip out of it or play dead |
| Active | Nymphs by day; adults at night |
| Lifespan | Not well known |
| Where it lives | Savanna and forest in East Africa; also reported in parts of Asia |
Did you know?
- The bug injects paralysing saliva, then sucks up the dissolved insides of its prey.
- The pile can hold up to about 20 ants, glued on with a sticky secretion.
- In one study, jumping spiders attacked unmasked bugs about ten times more often than masked ones.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, smithsonianmag.com