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Category Archives: Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs   rss

Backswimmer, NOT Water Boatman are Edible

Insect found swimming in the pool
May 17, 2010
I’ve never seen a bug like this before and was curious if you knew what it was.
I found it swimming in my pool (I just shocked the pool yesterday, so it might have some chlorine resistance…). It was swimming underwater and was moving pretty well, using its larger legs to swim while the smaller ones were pressed against its body (it almost looked like a tiny frog at first, by the way that it moved, except that the legs were hinging near the center of its body instead of the back).
When I fished it out of the water, it didn’t seem overly mobile on land, although it was able to slowly scoot itself about. Its body was about 2 cm long.
A first time bug hunter, Jason
Folsom, CA (foothills near Sacramento)

water boatman jason 300x243 Backswimmer, NOT Water Boatman are Edible

Water Boatman

Hi Jason,
This is a Water Boatman in the family Corixidae, but we are uncertain of the species.  BugGuide has numerous genera but many look alike to us.  Clumsy on land, Water Boatmen are excellent swimmers and fliers.

Correction:  Backswimmer
Boatman Pic actually Notonecta?
September 28, 2010
Hello, Friends of the Bugs,
While trying to ID a bug that had landed on our deck here in Edmonds,WA, I discovered that you have the same picture on your site under two different headings/labels.  It comes up under “Water Boatman are Edible” when “Boatman” is typed into the search box.  Your answer to that post was to say it was Corixidae.  The picture matches “my” bug exactly, and I had also come to the tentative conclusion after initially looking in Bug Guide, of Corixidae, but wasn’t convinced.  However, on BugGuide I happened to see another pic that also matched, was mislabeled as Corixidae, and someone had posted that it was Notonecta.  Looking further online, I agree 100%.
If I type Notonecta or Backswimmer into your search box, it comes up with a post titled “Backswimmer” which appears to be the exact picture, this time correctly IDd as Notonecta.  I thought you’d like to know so a note can be added (or however you want to deal with it, if at all) to the Boatman one, correcting the ID.  It might be confusing to some, such as myself, who might not accidently happen upon the correct ID and be thinking it is a Boatman.  I think many folks, like myself, might initially do a search for Boatman upon finding one of these bugs, since I was not familiar with the existence of Backswimmers.  But now I know, and I would have really wondered how a waterbug got on my 2nd story deck, except you explained they can fly well.  The 7/22/10 pic of a Backswimmer swimming (on its back, of course) highlighting the abdominal hairs is especially nice.
I did not bother to submit all the pics I took because I found the ID, as you already have several pictures, including one from 2005. I only attached one for reference.  Later, the Backswimmer had flown away.  Thanks again for such a great site.
Cheers, Dee Warnock

Hi Dee,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.  We did not realize that Baffled in Santa Cruz submitted the exact same image as Jason.

Posted 18 May 2010 § ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: ,
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Toe-Biter

4″ long big eyed bug in my flower garden
April 1, 2010
First I’d like to say thank you for providing this website. It gives very descriptive information on a wide variety of bugs from all over the world. Out of the 10-15 sites I visited this one is the best by far.
I live in Southern Ontario, Canada, in a rural area that is damp due to the numerous ponds located on my 170 acre property. It is springtime here and it is a warm sunny day with a temperature of 21degrees celsius.
I was pulling grass and weeds from my flower garden in front of my house and found this interesting bug hiding between a garden ornament and a rock. I gently pulled it out with my garden shovel and placed it on top of the rock in the sunlight so I could take a picture. It didn’t seem to like the sunlight or perhaps it was the warmth of the rock I put it on. It kept trying to crawl back to a dark and cooler place and it didn’t move too quickly. The body of this bug is 3″ long and 1″ wide with large black eyeballs and a flat profile. It’s body looks hard (I didn’t touch it with my hand) and is dark grey in colour with a black tear drop shaped marking near it’s tail end. I noticed a reddish spot on the tear drop shape but it almost looks like a scrape instead of a marking. It has two 2″ long, large legs at the front, stemming from under it’s head, that look claw-like. It also has four other legs which have thick fur on them. The two front legs each have one pointed cl aw at the end and the back four legs each have two claws at their end. They remind me of the toenails on a cat. Not sure if it has wings but it certainly looks as if it does because it’s upper body has a line down the center as if it could separate.
I’ve looked around your website but haven’t found this particular bug (unless I skipped a page) and I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me to identify it. I’ve attached two photos.
Thank you very much for your time.
Mrs. MJ Timmerman
(Southern Ontario) 30 kms North of Kingston, Ontario Canada

toebiter mrs timmerman 300x270 Toe Biter

Giant Water Bug

Dear Mrs. Timmerman,
Your description in the subject line was so perfect, we actually identified your insect before even opening your letter.  We receive countless requests for the identification of your insect, the Giant Water Bug, also called a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug, and we have tagged it Top Ten.  This aquatic species is capable of flight, and it is often encountered far from a water source.  The common name Toe-Biter is due to the number of swimmers in lakes and ponds who are bitten on the toe when accidentally stepping on a Giant Water Bug.  The bite is reported to be quite painful, though we rarely get a report of a person actually being bitten.  We do caution our readership that though they are not aggressive, they should be handled with care.

Posted 02 April 2010 § ‡ Comments (5) ° Tagged:

Water Scorpion from Gambia

Big Gambian water loving bug
March 29, 2010
Hi Bug peeps, recently got married in the gambia, west africa and stayed with my mum. She often gets these huge bugs in her pool – they are about 6″ including the long tail, and when they are fished out and dried off, their underbellies are bright orange. Any ideas what they might be? I’m guessing that’s not a sting… I hope!
Alison, UK
Gambia, west africa

water scorpion gambia alison 300x217 Water Scorpion from Gambia

Water Scorpion

Greetings Alison,
This is an impressive Water Scorpion, and though the name might imply a stinger, you are correct that it is not a stinger.  The Water Scorpion breathes through that extremity, using it like a snorkel.  Water Scorpions are quite capable of producing a painful bite if they are carelessly handled, but the bite comes from its piercing beak, the means by which it sucks nourishment from any prey it captures with is raptorial front legs.

Wow, thanks Daniel!
They always seem pretty chilled out, they never try to bite -  they just have a swim, then dry off to fly off in a swirl of neon orange – they lumber along the ground but they are graceful otherwise.
I’ll let Mum know, she could not remember what the local name for them was but she’ll be glad to know what they are.
Very much appreciated!
Alison

Posted 29 March 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Toe-Biter from Argentina: Another image of the same dead bug!!!

Flying biting fly thing
March 22, 2010
I recently moved down to Argentina, and there was an attack on a person by these flying things. The people do not know what type of bug it is, so I thought I might ask here. I know it’s not North America, but maybe you can help. The attack happened by a river, and they bit the person.
Tanya
Necochea, Aegentina

toebiter argentina tanya 300x177 Toe Biter from Argentina: Another image of the same dead bug!!!

Giant Water Bug

Hi Tanya,
We received another photo of this same dead bug yesterday, and the letter was in Spanish.  Giant Water Bugs are called Toe-Biters in the U.S. and they will bite if carelessly handled.  We are most curious about the details of the attack you mentioned.  Were there multiple insects involved?

Posted 22 March 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Toe-Biter from Argentina: death by trauma

Chinche Acuatica?
March 21, 2010
Fue hallada en zona del Río Quequén que separa la ciudad de Necochea con Quequén
38º 33′ 16′ 85 S
58º 43 41 95 w
Presumimos que se trata de una chinche acuática
Volaban mas de 10 por la zona
Bichos en Necochea
Necochea Buenos Aires Argentina

toebiter argentina carnage 300x195 Toe Biter from Argentina: death by trauma

Toe-Biter Carnage

Hola,
Perdona porque nuestro Espanol no esta bueno.  Su insecto esta una chinche acuatica.  Your insect is an aquatic bug or Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug. Alas, this appears to be unnecessary carnage.

Posted 21 March 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: ,

Toe-Biter

Looks carnivorous to me…
March 3, 2010
Hey Bugman! I found this bug at work today and I’ve never seen anything like it!
I’m so very curious about this insect, but can’t ID it at all…
Hepler
Corvallis, Oregon

toebiter hepler 300x224 Toe Biter

Giant Water Bug

Hi Hepler,
Identification requests for Giant Water Bugs, commonly called Toe-Biters, are so frequent during the summer that we have put them on our Top 10 list.  Members in the genus Lethocerus are reported from coast to coast in North America on BugGuide, and they also may be found in many other parts of the world.  Much larger relatives are eaten in Thailand.  Your observation that the Giant Water Bug looks carnivorous is astute, and they are fierce aquatic predators that can also take flight to seek out new hunting grounds.

Posted 03 March 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Male Giant Water Bug Tends to eggs as female eats

February 24, 2010
Giant Water Bugs
Hi, WTB,
I’ve been going through photos from last summer and I thought that you might be interested in some Giant Water Bug images that have a little more detail (including particulate gunk in the water — sorry for that) than is sometimes seen in field photographs.
The first image gives an idea of the male behavior of, what seems to be, aerating/hydrating (and, perhaps, cleansing?) the eggs by rapidly moving his back in and out of the water.

abedus male eggs denny 300x239 Male Giant Water Bug Tends to eggs as female eats

Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs

The second shot shows a submerged male with all of the eggs, and only the eggs, above the surface.

abedus male eggs denny 2 300x239 Male Giant Water Bug Tends to eggs as female eats

Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs

The third photo is of a completely submerged male and eggs.  You just can see the very tip of his backside breaking the surface.

abedus male eggs denny 3 300x240 Male Giant Water Bug Tends to eggs as female eats

Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs

The final shot is of a, presumably, female — totally submerged — who is feeding “up” on the food chain.
Early July, foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains, southern Arizona, about 4,400 ft.
Denny Schreffler

abedus feeding denny 300x240 Male Giant Water Bug Tends to eggs as female eats

Giant Water bug with Prey

Dear Denny,
You are continuing a pattern of excellence with both your photos and your verbal descriptions.  These documentations of a Male Giant Water Bug in the genus Abedus, probably Abedus herberti which BugGuide reports is found in Arizona, are positively spectacular.  The focus and detail are superb, and the observational information on the aeration/hydrating/cleaning behavior of the male with the eggs is a wonderful addition.  The Giant Water Bugs in the genera Abedus and Belestoma are interesting in that the female cements the eggs to the back of the male after mating, and the male has the responsibility of protecting the eggs, though once the eggs hatch, he is freed of his duties.  Thanks so much for including the information that the photos were taken in July, because so often our readers submit images that are many years old and they fail to include such relevant information.  Though your photos are quite detailed, you neglected to indicate what prey was captured in the Food Chain image, other than that it is up the food chain.  Is it possible to provide that information?

I don’t know what fleshy little vertebrate morsel she is eating — I came upon her after she already had been through the carry out line — but it probably tastes like chicken.
Thanks for the nice comments.
Denny Schreffler

Eric Eaton Agrees with identification
Hi, Daniel:
The giant water bugs from Denny here in Arizona are the species Abedus herberti.
Eric

Posted 25 February 2010 § Eggs ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , ,

Giant Water Bug from Argentina

What is this bug?
February 7, 2010
Hi there, I have seen this bug for the first time in my life and in the two years I have been living in my place. I live in an apartment, first floor with a patio and some plants in pots. No grass or dirt. Even thou I have seen pretty much variety of insects that took my attention several times. I have remembered this site and decided to start sending you pics of what I just find interesting to share. As you see the insect is dead but I have found one alive but took it away because I don´t really know if it can bite. We are in summer now and these ones appeared after 3 days of continuous rainy days. Thanks for you help.
Fred
Buenos Aires Argentina.

belostoma argentina fred 300x232 Giant Water Bug from Argentina

Giant Water Bug

Hi Fred,
This is a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae.  Most of the examples we see are from the genus Lethocerus, but your specimen is from one of the other genera, probably Belostoma, or possibly Abedus.  Giant Water Bugs are aquatic predators that can also fly quite well, a capability they use when their ponds dry out.  They are also attracted to lights, and that may be the reason it was attracted to your apartment.  Giant Water Bugs can bite painfully if provoked or carelessly handled, and in the U.S. they are commonly called Toe-Biters as well as Electric Light Bugs.

belostoma argentina 2 fred 300x217 Giant Water Bug from Argentina

Giant Water Bug

Daniel, thanks a lot for you quick and great response. I really appreciate what you do and hopefully I will be able to send you new pics to share and find out what kind of bug is it.
Have a great week.
Fred.

Posted 08 February 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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