Q. What insect is this? (actual size!)
A. This insect has
been identified as a Giant Water Bug, from the species Lethocerus.
(Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) It
is in the same family as the Electric Light Bug (attracted to lights at night
and the “toe biter” (Benacus
grieus), whose reported activity may be exaggerated.
This is closely related to the Giant Water Bug and may be misidentified.
The Giant Water Bug, a powerful flier, has in one instance been known to
propel itself out of a pond and into a sheet illuminated with ultraviolet light
(to attract insects) with such force that it caused the entire sheet to billow.
It is a fairly common insect in ponds, where it feeds on various other
insects and small vertebrates. A
description of a frog’s encounter with a Giant Water Bug can be found in Annie
Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
Handled carelessly, the Giant Water Bug can inflict a painful bite.
Our appreciation to David Cooper of the Niagara Frontier Entomological Society and to Wayne Gall of the Buffalo Museum of Science for identifying this insect.
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