What kind of but is this?
Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 6:32 AM
I was in Puerto Maldonado, Peru recently and came across this giant insect. A friend of mine there, a local, said that it was a cockroach. Though it sort of looks like one, I’m not convinced.
nate
Peruvian Amazon, Puerto Maldonado
Giant Water Bug
Dear Nate,
People often write to us wanting to get buts identified. This is actually a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae. The family is well represented around the world. In the U.S . Giant Water Bugs are also known as Toe-Biters or Electric Light Bugs. They are eaten in Thailand.
water scorpions share meal
Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Hi,
I thought you guys might like this picture I took last year. Over the summer I raised several water scorpions, and these are two of them. They were both eating the same damselfly larva at the same time. I thought that this was a rare moment and snapped several shots. I later realized that the darker one had little egg pouches, or mites of some kind on one of its legs, and that there is another damselfly larva on the lighter one’s back. I hope you guys enjoy this image. Thanks again for the awesome site.
Josh Kouri
Oklahoma
Water Scorpions eat Damselfly Naiad
Hi again Josh,
Thanks for the interesting image of two Water Scorpions feeding on a Damselfly Naiad. It will be an excellent addition to our Food Chain section. We took the liberty of adding Oklahoma to your posting as you did not submit your letter using our new form that requires a location. Adding the location requirement to our online form has saved us the bother of writing back for a location. Please include a location in any future letters.
What is this thing?
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 7:26 AM
Found this bug by the open overhead door at the metal shop I was working in. It was September I believe. I kept it alive and scooped him up with a piece of paper and took it outside, however the owners son proceeded to smash it repeatedly with a 5 lb dead blow hammer, of course I was wroth with him for it. He smashes all the weird bugs that seem to show up in large numbers around the shop also. Found a luna moth that had been knocked down by a robin, and I saved a praying mantis that was over 4 inches long this fall! Don’t know what this thing is, had small hooks on the end of it’s strange mantis like front legs. Some damage to it in the picture, probably as a result of flying into the stockroom of a metal shop! if you could identify it, I would be grateful.
Matt
Western NY state, USA
Water Scorpion smashed to death
Hi Matt,
We are very sorry to hear that this unfortunate Water Scorpion has been pummelled to death by an insensitive insect hater. The Water Scorpion in the genus Ranatra is a predatory aquatic insect that can fly and is sometimes attracted to lights. Water Scorpions get their name from the painful bite they will deliver if they are mishandled, but the species does not aggressively bite humans.
Pre Historic Roach?
Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 6:31 PM
This bug was found by my father in the laundry. We don’t have trees and bushes, nor earth in our house, but my neighbor has. Hmm.. this is all i know =[
Hope you can tell us what's this bug! It really impressed us. Thanks
Reinaldo Hartmann
Brazil - Porto Velho - Ro
Giant Water Bug in Brazil
Hi Reinaldo,
This is actually a Giant Water Bug. In the U.S., they are commonly called Toe-Biters since they have been known to bite people who swim in lakes and ponds. They don’t aggressively bite humans, but they can deliver a very painful bite if carelessly handled. Giant Water Bugs can fly quite well, and they are attracted to lights, hence the other common name Electric Light Bug. Perhaps there was a light in the laundry room that attracted this specimen.
2
WEIRD F%(#!N BUG THING!!! HELP!!!
Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 12:22 AM
So like dude i was in the kitchen and all of a sudden this thing just comes crawling out from under the stove, i was scared man. It’s not exactly the kindest looking bugs. I don’t know anything more than that really, i swooped it up with a dustpan and let it wander outside.
tittysprinkles
My house in Tacoma Washington
Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs
Dear tittysprinkles,
Generally we refrain from editing the letters we receive, but as so many youngsters access our website, we felt compelled to “bleep out” your subject title. This is a male Giant Water Bug in either the genus Abedus or the genus Belostoma. When they mate, the female cements the eggs to the back of the male and he is the primary care giver for the unhatched brood. We are amazed that he was able to fly to your kitchen with that payload on board. Giant Water Bugs are aquatic, but they can fly quite well and they are attracted to electric lights. We suspect there is a body of water nearby that served as a mating habitat for your specimen.
Giant Water Bug
Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 12:34 AM
Hi, love this site. I have one here I found in a small local pond, among other water insects. It appears to be a giant water bug. I have looked throughout the site and seen several varieties. It still has no wings, and surfaces to attach a bubble to its sternum before diving back down to the bottom of the aquarium. I am feeding it moths and flies, observed it and other beetles feeding on floating bee remains. Will it eventually crawl out and scare the fiber out of my girlfriend?
thank you
Lanz
Soledad, CA
immature Giant Water Bug
Hi Lanz,
There are three genera of Giant Water Bugs and all three grow wings as adults and can fly. When it matures, your specimen may decide your aquarium doesn’t suit its needs and it may try to fly away. Your specimen is either Abedus or Belostoma. We will try to get some assistance on which genus your specimen belongs to.
immature Giant Water Bug
Amphibian bug
Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Hi Whats that bug team , This afternoon my husband was cleaning out the pool and found this thing crawling out of it . Its huge and its mean looking , It has to weird thing coming out of its behind whenit gets aggrevated, we’ve never seen anything like this . I hope u can help us figure out whats that bug .
Sorry if the pictures are a bit blurry .
Stevens familly
Saint-constant, Quebec ,Canada
Giant Water Bug
Hi Stevens Family,
The tenant in your pool is a Giant Water Bug or Toe-Biter. Though it is aquatic, it can also fly and is attracted to lights, hence the common name Electric Light Bug. The weird thing coming from its behind is a snorkel-like breathing device.
Possible Tiger Moth?
Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 8:26 AM
These pictures taken in South Western Ontario, in mid-August. Using a black light and blanket to attract insects. Wondering if these are from the Tiger Moth family based on the tuft of ‘fur’. But i cannot tell what species. Wingspan aproximately 1 – 1.25 inches
Bug-eyed Canadian
South Western Ontario, Canada
Tolype species
Dear Bug-Eyed,
Your moth is in the genus Tolype meaning it is not a Tiger Moth. The genus is part of the family Lasiocampidae, theTent Caterpillar and Lappet Moths. BugGuide shows five species of Tolype, and we don’t feel qualified to identify your specimen to the species level. Though you didn’t request the information, the other insect in your photo looks like a Water Boatman in the family Corixidae.
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