#belostoma

[crypticpara]

Nightmare I just had hours ago

[aquaticbugs]

Females of giant water bugs will lay their eggs on the backs of the males, who attend to the eggs by using their hind legs to brush oxygenated water onto them.

You may have also heard giant water bugs referred to as "toe biters." They can indeed inflict some serious pain for their size if not properly handled, and even though they do eat species much larger than they are, humans are not typical fare.

We would often find these opportunistic feeders eating the larval fish in emigration traps in the wetlands of the St. Lawrence River. Can't blame them for happening upon an easy meal.

Genus: Belostoma

Family: Belostomatidae

Order: Hemiptera (true bugs)

Collected on Nine Mile Creek, Onondaga County, NY.