Giant Water Bug
The giant water bug (Lethocerus americanus) is a large, flat, brown aquatic bug, up to about 6 centimeters long, that ambushes fish, frogs and tadpoles. It is nicknamed the toe-biter.
The giant water bug (Lethocerus americanus) is a large, flat, brown aquatic bug, up to about 6 centimeters long, that ambushes fish, frogs and tadpoles. It is nicknamed the toe-biter.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Giant Water Bug in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Ecdysozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Ambush and Liquid Meal
The bug grabs prey with its raptorial front legs and injects saliva containing digestive enzymes through its beak. This dissolves the victim's insides, which it sucks up. The bite can be painful to people.
Fathers Guard the Eggs
In Lethocerus, the female lays her eggs on plant stems above water and the male guards them, wetting them with water to keep them from drying out. In related genera the male carries eggs on his back.
Flight to the Lights
Adults fly at night and are attracted to lights, hence the name electric-light bug. See House Fly.
Giant Water Bug at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lethocerus americanus |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Hemiptera |
| Family | Belostomatidae |
| Field Guide group | Ecdysozoa: Hexapoda (Insects) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Large flattened freshwater ambush predator up to 6 cm long with vise-like raptorial forelegs, a piercing rostrum that injects liquefying digestive enzymes, and strap-like caudal breathing siphons. |
| Order | Hemiptera |
| Family | Belostomatidae |