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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Giant Water Bug from Iraq

Bug found in Iraq
Could you tell me what this bug is? Found while serving in Iraq.
Thanks
Fran

Hi Fran,
This is a Giant Water Bug. They are known as Toe-Biters stateside.

Posted 25 April 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe-Biter

Low Priority: additional Giant Water Bug pics
Hi there, thank you for your site! Very nice! I don’t need help identifying this fellow having recently learned what it is, but I thought I’d pass along a couple of pics. (Don’t feel obligated to respond, seeing as I know what it is and you have loads of pics already, but you certainly may if you wish.) I was quite comfortably holding this critter well before learning about the painful bite it could have inflicted. (Phew, lucky me.) Finding it rather docile, and not seeing any scary looking mandible-type parts, I thought it’d be pretty safe to pick up and look over. It was actually just "hanging out" on my sweater as I was searching info. online. I liked the big, praying mantis-like eyes and strong front arms. Very neat. I found it, like in another post I read – in a WalMart parking lot – at night, in Napanee, Ontario, Canada.
Sandra Reid

Hi Sandra,
How could we help but to post your submission. It has all the necessary qualities. It is polite, informative, personal, and has an awesome image. Thanks for sending it our way.

Posted 22 April 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe-Biter

what is this bug?
Please tell me what this beetle is. Found it here in Saratoga New York.
Douglas Correll

Hi Douglas,
This is a Toe-Biter or Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug. We get countless requests for identifications of this species and its close relatives from around the world. We always have a photo of a Toe-Biter on our homepage to help address the volume of inquiries. Your photo will be that photo until we post a new letter and image.

Posted 21 April 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Water Scorpion

We found it in the pool
We found this in the pool in Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley in NSW, Australia – I have never seen one before and hope to never again.
Michelle

Hi Michelle,
Thank you for sending us you most awesome photo of a Water Scorpion in the genus Nepa. We often get photos of their relatives, Water Scorpions in the genue Ranatra as well as Giant Water Bugs known as Toe Biters, but we rarely get these broader Water Scorpions in the genus Nepa. They are not deadly, but the bite is quite painful.

Posted 17 April 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Toe Biter in a Chocolate Factory

Yuck BIG bug!
Dear Bugman,
Our two chocolate labs made a new playmate lastnight with this huge bug. It’s roughly 3 inches long and the biggest bug I’ve seen outside of a zoo. We live on a farm near Kalamzoo, MI. Is this bug from our area? If so, what kind of bug is it?
Thanks,
Annette

Hi Annette,
I hope none of you late night chocolate factory workers were running around in open-toe shoes. That might have been a bit too tempting for this Toe Biter or Giant Water Bug.

Posted 22 March 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °

?Como se dice “Toe Biter” en Espa

Toe Biter?
We saw this frightening thing while vacationing in Ixtapa, Mexico. It was aggressive and about 5-6 inches long and found near the beach. Is it a toe biter? We have video if it would help!
Shawn & Steffy

Hi Shawn and Steffy,
This is most certainly a Giant Water Bug. We would love to know if there is a colorful Spanish name for the Toe Biter.

When we asked a local what it was, he said something along the lines of “cincero” or “cincera”, but we weren’t able to find a translation for it!

Posted 22 March 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe Biter

Whats this bug?
It flies, and has enormous eyes. Can you tell me what this? I have never seen it around here before
Joel

Hi Joel,
The Toe Biter or Giant Water Bug is one of the most common query subjects to be submitted to our site for identification. We have numerous images and much information on two dedicated pages.

Posted 07 March 2007 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe Biter in Angola

Friends for breakfast
These are some pictures of some bugs that came in to visit for breakfast the other morning. Any idea of the correct name? I would think that it is some part of the beetle family as many of the critters over here are. It is coming up on time for the invasion of the Bombardier Beetles, or "Acid Bugs" as we call them, due to the serious burns they inflict. Happy hunting!Regards,
Kearney R. Walters
Malongo, Cabinda, Angola

Hi Kearney,
Giant Water Bugs, or Toe Biters as they are called in the U.S., are not beetles, but true bugs. They are aquatic predators that also fly quite well. They will bite if provoked, so those gloves were a smart idea.

Posted 27 November 2006 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe Biter in Ocean

Bug found at the beach
Found this guy today laying on his back at Crane Beach in Massachusetts. We turned him the right way, but the tide kept coming in and turning him on his back. Sorry I couldn’t get a better picture. It looked strange to me seeing this bug in the ocean, but maybe it isn’t so strange? Thanks!

This isn’t the first report we have gotten of Toe Biters or Giant Water Bugs being found in the ocean. They are aquatic, and might be at home in salt water, or perhaps they accidentally found themselves in the sea. At any rate, Giant Water Bugs are found throughout the world and will bite painfully if mishandled.

Posted 26 November 2006 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Toe-Biter from Dominican Republic

Toe Biter On Beach!
Hello
Whilst holidaying in the Dominican Republic we came across this fella on the beach. When we got home we searched the Internet and found out from your (very good) site that it’s a Giant Water Bug. He/she was incredibly aggressive; when we went near it, it raised those pincers at us so we kept our distance but still managed to get this photo and a few others. Looking at your site it appears they live in freshwater; could this one have lived in the sea? There was no freshwater nearby. Even the locals looked intrigued at it!
Thanks very much
Neil Williams (Birmingham, England)

Hi Neil,
There are different species of Giant Water Bugs in many parts of the world. We are not sure if any will swim in salt water. As they can fly great distances, it is possible it flew from a pond several miles away.

Posted 23 October 2006 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Water Treader or Broad Shouldered Water Striders?

veliidae?
hi,
Two pictures, from two different days, of different-looking critters on the surface of the pond in the shallows. I’m guessing these are all broad-shouldered water striders, but the mating pair is a little less clear. Could they be something else? best
greg

Hi Greg,
We do not possess the necessary skills to take this to the species level, but we agree with your identification in the Family Veliidae, the Broad Shouldered Water Striders. The coloration of the mating pair does not match anything on BugGuide. We haven’t bothered Eric Eaton in a bit, so we will see if he has an opinion. Here is what Eric wrote: “You are probably correct, but aquatic insects, especially the more ‘minor’ families, are not creatures I am terribly familiar with. There is at least one other family closely related to Veliidae that you might want to check. Eric”

Ed Note: Water Treaders perhaps (11/04/2006)
In trying to identify another water creature, we discovered the Water Treaders in the genus Mesovelia on BugGuide and now believe that to be the correct identification on these insects.

Posted 21 October 2006 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Electric Light Bug

Toe Biter
Hi,
came across several of these guys in the parking lot of a local supermarket. Thanks for helping with the identification as Toe Biters – we had never seen such before and having them fly into you at speed before scuttling off was quite shocking. Usual for them to be out and about in upstate New York in mid October?
Lat: 41°56′48.77"N
Long: 73°54′1.63"W
Andy

Hi Andy,
We believe that Toe Biters will overwinter under the ice and fly on warm days, hence they are often spotted early in the year as well as late in the season. They are also called Electric Light Bugs, probably the reason they were in the parking lot.

Posted 19 October 2006 § ‡ Comments (0) °

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