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Tag Archives: Aquatic Bugs

Dragon Hunter Naiad

Prehistoric leaf bug?
Location: central Wisconsin
September 21, 2011 10:09 pm
This year for school, we are doing an insect project, where you have to find 25 bugs and give its common name, genus, and species. We found this bug in a lake in Wisconsin. I can’t seem to find the name of it. Please help! It’s due Monday!
Signature: From Anna

dragon hunter anna 300x257 Dragon Hunter Naiad

Dragon Hunter

Hi Anna,
Normally we refrain from answering homework assignment requests that require the student do research.  We will not provide you with all the information you requested, but we will tell you the order is Odonata and that this is the aquatic nymph of a species of Dragonfly.  Armed with that information, you should be able to research the species since this naiad is so distinctive looking.
In the event our readership is curious, this is the naiad of a Dragon Hunter, Hagenius brevistylus, and additional information is available on BugGuide.

Thank you so much! My partner and I really appreciate it. We spend hours trying to find it. I don’t think anyone else will have this bug! icon smile Dragon Hunter Naiad

Posted 22 September 2011 § Dragonflies and Damselflies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mosquito Project

My Mosquito Project
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
September 15, 2011 10:47 pm
Hey Bugman,
As we share a love for bugs and everything creepy crawly, I figured I’d share some of the photos I’ve taken during my Mosquito growing project. Our pool had become like a pond, and there were 1000’s of mosquito larvae swimming about. After learning about their process, I became so interested, I wanted to watch the whole thing, so I scooped some up, along with some algae and other things for them to eat in a jar and am having a LOT of fun watching this. I lost 90% of them when the cold snap hit, but the ones I have left are troopers and I actually have a few eggs left and a new one just hatched today, so here’s hoping icon wink Mosquito Project
Signature: Amanda Gorman

mosquito larvae amanda 300x235 Mosquito Project

Mosquito Larvae

Hi Amanda,
Thanks so much for sending us your photos.  Do you release the adults?  Are you feeding the adults warm blood?  We are positively intrigued by your Mosquito Project, but we cannot imagine your neighbors are terribly amused.

mosquito tumbler amanda 300x234 Mosquito Project

Mosquito Pupa

Hey Daniel,
I’m glad you guys liked my pictures. I’m actually not doing anything SPECIAL with the mosquito larvae. I had so much fun watching them in the pool, so I learned about them. Then, once I learned about the process, I wanted to watch the whole thing, so I literally just rinsed out a jar and scooped water out of the pool and those were the lives I got. Mostly larvae, a few pupae, and some eggs!!! I put fresh plant life in the jar to create oxygen, and I add a fresh leaf here and there for fresh oxygen. BUT I scooped out a wad of algae from the bottom of the pool so they had a good start on food, and then the jar sits in the sun, so it grows new algae every day. On cloudy days, I add just a little algae from the pool. As far as adults, like I said, it’s just a jar outside, so I’m just letting nature take it’s course. They will fly away when they are ready. I started this last Sunday and at the time between pupae, larvae, and newly hatched eggs (NEARLY microscopic) I had roughly 50 specimens. Then Tuesday morning we started our cold snap here in MI and I lost 80% of them. It seemed I had 9 strong ones that were troopers. 5 full grown larvae, 2 juvenile larvae from Monday, a TINY larvae that had JUST hatched, and ONE pupa. HOWEVER, it was SUPER cold last night and I lost even MORE. I am down to 5 I think. My pupa is gone too, which sucks….but I have eggs, I just doubt they will hatch in this weather.  I sent you all an identification request about a bug that was living with the mosquito larvae in the pool and skitters along the bottom. When I put some fresh algae in today, i must have picked up two of these guys, b/c now I have THEM living in the jar as well, so I attached 2 pictures of this bug in addition to the one I attached to my original identification request. It’s driving me nuts that I cannot figure out what this creature is.
I am having a lot of health issues so I cannot work right now, so this has been an AMAZING occupation of my mind and time. If nothing else this “project” prolongs their life SOME b/c otherwise they would have just all gone when the water drains out and the pool gets vacuumed.
I apologize this response is so long, it’s just no one else I know likes bugs enough for me to tell all the details to, so I got kinda carried away! icon smile Mosquito Project Thanks for what you guys do!!!

dragonfly larva amanda 300x179 Mosquito Project

Dragonfly Larva

Hi again Amanda,
Thank you for supplying additional information on the scope of your Mosquito project.  The new insect you submitted is a predatory Dragonfly Naiad, and perhaps it is responsible to the losses in your Mosquito Larvae due to predation.

Thx so much!! It was driving me crazy I didnt know what this bug was. I attriibute a combo of the dragonfly naiad and the cold to losing my little wigglers, but such is the circle of life. Im def gonna do this EARLY next summer!!

 

Posted 16 September 2011 § Dragonflies and Damselflies § Mosquitos ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Caddisfly Larva

What is this
Location: Yosemite, CA
August 30, 2011 2:43 pm
Last week we went camping for a few days in Yosemite and while playing in the river I kept noticing that every once in a while bubbles would come out of the sand. While trying to find the culprit I found this strange bug thing that kind of resembles a hermit crab. At first it looked like it had a shell with a beetle head sticking out of it. But after taking a closer look you see that it’s just a bunch of rocks and stuff stuck to it’s back. It stayed completely submerged under water the entire time we were there. Never seen anything like it. Picked it up. Took a picture of it and then put it back. I’ve searched on-line but never found anything close to it.
Signature: Super Curious in SoCal

caddisfly yosemite 300x198 Caddisfly Larva

Caddisfly Larva

Dear Super Curious,
We were puzzled at first by viewing your photo, but upon reading your email, we are certain that this is the larva of a Caddisfly.  They are frequently called Casemakers or Caseworms because of the shelters that are constructed by the larvae for protection.  Each species of Caddisfly constructs a unique case.  Some use twigs, and others use pebbles or shells for their homes.

Thanks a bunch!  I looked around at Caddisfly information after reading your e-mail and I’m sure that’s it.  It was really weird….it had a head that looked like a beetle and I never knew one could live underneath the water.  Always thought of aquatic bugs as kind of floating around on the surface.  Anyway, your site is great!  Love all the pictures.
Heidi

Posted 31 August 2011 § Caddisflies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Toe-Biter results in argumental stalemate between spouses

Argument husband vs wife
Location: caledon, ontario, canada
August 13, 2011 12:29 pm
Good day,
Me and my husband are trying to identify a bug we found dead in the stairwell leading from our garage to the house. We are trying to determine if it is a beetle or a cochroache..hopefully you can end this argement.
Signature: Christine

toebiter christine 300x233 Toe Biter results in argumental stalemate between spouses

Toe-Biter

Stop arguing Christine.  You are both wrong.  This is a Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug.  It is an aquatic predator that can also fly quite well.  Close relatives from Thailand are quite large and are considered delicacies.  They are sold on the street by food vendors there.  Toe-Biters are among our most frequent identification requests.

Posted 13 August 2011 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: ,

Immature Giant Water Bugs exhibit cannibalistic behavior

yellow bettle? aquatic?
Location: Raymond, California
August 7, 2011 3:45 pm
I saw these two insects this morning in one of our creeks. They were both approximately the same length, but obviously different colors. The yellow one was firmly grasping the dark one – mating? Predation?
I am clueless on ids for both of them. Any ideas?
Signature: Megan Ralph

abedus herberti food chain megan 2 300x206 Immature Giant Water Bugs exhibit cannibalistic behavior

Giant Water Bug Nymphs compete for meal

Hi Megan,
We are confident that we have identified your insects as two immature individuals of a species of Giant Water Bug in the genus Abedus, based on this image of Abedus herberti posted to BugGuide.  The yellow individual in your photos and the BugGuide image are newly molted nymphs in the teneral stage, meaning that their exoskeleton has not yet hardened and darkened.  Insects are especially vulnerable immediately after metamorphosis.  We believe the dark individual in your photos, also a nymph, is taking advantage of its weaker coeval by preying upon it.  Of course, your photos do not reveal the final outcome, and the teneral individual may have actually been the victor in this food chain drama.  BugGuide has a wealth of information on Abedus herberti, including this listed range:  “Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, USA; northern Mexico” and this listed habitat:  “Freshwater streams, especially in montane areas. They often inhabit intermittent streams, so they are isolated to individual rock pools (tinajas) during dry periods when streams do not exhibit overland flow.”  This interesting note of food may explain the cannibalistic behavior that your photo illustrates:  “All water bugs are predators. Abedus herberti eats other insects, small fish, small tadpoles, and will become cannibalistic when other food is scarce.”  One final bit of information from BugGuide indicates that this might actually be a closely related species from California, Abedus indentatus:  “Abedus is a difficult genus in which to identify species without a microscope for close examination. A. heberti is similar in appearance to most other Abedus species, but it is most similar to Abedus indentatus. A. indentatus is typically only found in California.”  BugGuide has a dearth of information on the California species.

abedus herberti food chain megan 300x206 Immature Giant Water Bugs exhibit cannibalistic behavior

Cannibalistic tendencies in Giant Water Bug nymphs

Thank you so much for your detailed and extremely informative reply.  That is the perfect description for the habitat where I saw them – a small stream that is beginning to dry up (rather late in the year actually – it was a wet spring).
Megan

Posted 11 August 2011 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Water Scorpion

Unknown creature who washed ashore…(I don’t think photo went through last time, sorry)
Location: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, wet sand at southernmost end of Lake Michigan.
August 9, 2011 7:11 am
We were on the beach in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when I noticed this bug(?) moving in the sand after a wave washed it onto the beach. Even though I’ve taken multiple wildlife courses in the Dunes and could identify every sand cherry and jack pine growing there, I’m at a loss with this little guy.
One thing that doesn’t come across well in the photo is that this creature seemed to have beady little eyestalks that moved independently. For that reason, I thought this was some sort of freshwater crustacean at first glance, but it doesn’t look too much like a shrimp either.
I’d love to learn about this little guy.
Signature: Kitsa

water scorpion kitsa 300x239 Water Scorpion

Water Scorpion

re: beach bug
Location: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, wet sand at southernmost end of Lake Michigan.
August 9, 2011 7:22 am
After some more research (just had to get myself pointed in the right direction), I see that it’s a water scorpion. Glad I kept my distance, but what a neat bug icon smile Water Scorpion
Signature: Kitsa

Dear Kitsa,
We are happy to see that it took you only 11 minutes to self identify your Water Scorpion and to write back letting us know.  While they are not dangerous, Water Scorpions are reported to have a painful bite.  They are True Bugs that have piercing mouthparts adapted to sucking fluids from their prey, mainly small aquatic creatures including insects, tadpoles and even small fish which they catch with their raptorial front legs while waiting camouflaged among vegetation.

Posted 09 August 2011 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Toe-Biter

Big Scary Beetle!!
Location: Minnesota
August 6, 2011 8:04 am
We were out looking at a car last night, and saw this big ugly bug on the lot. It flies. And has freakishly large pincers/legs. WHAT IS THIS THING??
Signature: Austen

toebiter austen 300x213 Toe Biter

Toe-Biter

Hi Austen,
We hope you picked out a nice fuel efficient vehicle.  This is not a Beetle.  It is a Giant Water Bug, a True Bug.  As its name implies, it is an aquatic species, and we are surprised that you have not encountered one before since you live in the “land of a 1000 lakes” which we suspect is prime habitat for this large predator.  Giant Water Bugs are also excellent fliers, and they are attracted to strong lights.  Often great numbers congregate in well lighted parking lots and at nighttime sporting events, owing to another common name, Electric Light Bug.  Our favorite common name, Toe-Biter, is attributed to the their habit of biting unwary swimmers, especially in ponds and lakes.  The bite of a Toe-Biter is reported to be quite painful.  Though they are not a venomous species, they inject enzymes for the digestion of prey when they bite that causes pain and swelling.  They are not blood suckers, and they only bite humans out of defense.  Their typical prey includes aquatic insects, tadpoles and small fish which they capture with their raptorial forelegs.

Posted 06 August 2011 § Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Tumbler: AKA Mosquito Pupa

pics I sent a couple days ago
Location: Strong City, Kansas
July 29, 2011 2:04 pm
Well, whaddya know. I dumped the pool, but had a few specimens in a cup in the house which I had collected so I could photograph them. 2 days later their little skins are floating limp in the water, while 3 sweet little baby mosquitos are on the side of the cup, patiently waiting for someone to open it and set them free. They have white stripes on their legs. As larvae, they looked so different from the mosquito larvae I know that I thought they were something else. Anyway, thanks for all the stuff you do.
Signature: prairiecricket

mosquito tumbler 300x225 Tumbler: AKA Mosquito Pupa

Tumbler: Mosquito Pupa

Dear prairiecricket,
Mosquito Larvae are frequently called Wrigglers, and the Pupae are called Tumblers because of the manner in which they move through water.  This is a Tumbler or Mosquito Pupa, which may explain why it looks different from the Mosquito Larvae you are familiar with.  Based on your description and location, your Mosquitoes may have been Asian Tiger Mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus, which you may view on BugGuide.

Posted 29 July 2011 § Mosquito ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

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