Numbers
6 species in North America (
nearctica.com)
Identification
body elongate; front legs raptorial, twice as thick as other legs, usually held in front of head, and used for grasping prey; middle and hind legs point toward rear and are used for swimming; forewings brown, leathery, held flat against abdomen
forewings cover all of abdomen except for two tube-like appendages at posterior end that function in breathing atmospheric air which is then stored in a bubble beneath the wings while swimming underwater
Habitat
ponds and shallow margins of lakes containing submerged or emergent vegetation
Food
nymphs and adults eat aquatic arthropods, snails, small fish, salamanders, frog and toad tadpoles and adults
Life Cycle
During spring and early summer, eggs are laid near or in water attached to aquatic plants, stones, leaves or rotting branches. The eggs are brownish-gray, 4-5 mm long, laid in rows. Usually 100 are found in each group, hatching in about 2 weeks. The nymphs look very similar to adults but lack wings and are much smaller; they molt 5 times before becoming adults.
Overwinters as an adult in mud at bottom of pond or lake margin.
Remarks
May bite if handled. Adults are attracted to light and are sometimes found on the ground under streetlights.
See Also
Belostoma species are much smaller (20-30 mm) with less elongate bodies
Internet References
adult drawing of
L. americanus plus description, biology, common name references, and other info (H. Goble and T. Young, U. of Guelph, Ontario)
adult image of
L. americanus by Bastiaan Drees, plus other info (Texas A&M U.)
adult image of unidentified
Lethocerus species (U. of Minnesota)
adult image of
L. americanus by Stephanie Boucher, plus other info (McGill U., Quebec)
nymph and adult images of
L. americanus (Insects of Quebec)
adult image of unidentified
Lethocerus species (U. of Saskatchewan)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 26 March, 2005 - 11:02pm
Last updated 20 May, 2006 - 8:39pm
