Common Name: Giant Water Bug Latin Name:
Lethocerus americanus (Leidy, 1847)
(R. Bercha, det.)
Length: 46 - 52 mm
Range: Throughout Alberta
Habitat:
Marshes and slow flowing waters
Time of year seen: Summer
(Additional Sightings)
Diet: Insects, fish and tadpoles
Other: The Giant Water Bug is a common inhabitant of
ponds, marshes and slow moving waterways. It is a voracious predator which
ambushes other aquatic life. The bug is suited to this way of life with it's
dark green brown coloration and body shape giving it the appearance of a
dead leaf. When an unsuspecting aquatic insect or small vertebrate (frog,
tadpole or small fish) swims to close the Bug seizes it with its hooked
front legs and plunges its beak into the preys body, injecting digestive
fluids. A short while later the preys innards are liquefied and the Bug
sucks out the "soup" leaving an empty husk. Giant Water Bugs can fly and are
attracted to light. Caution should be used when handling them as they can
inflict a painful bite. It is Alberta's largest aquatic insect. (Eaton, 2007 & Borror, 1970) |