Numbers
9 species in North America (
nearctica.com)
Identification
body brown and football-shaped (oval with pointed ends); membrane of hemelytra large and well-developed
Range
eastern two-thirds of North America
Habitat
slow-moving and standing water with submerged or emergent vegetation
Season
adults present spring through fall
Food
nymphs and adults are predaceous on aquatic arthropods as well as snails, small fish, and the larvae and adults of frogs and toads
Life Cycle
one generation per year; overwinters as an adult; mating and egg laying occurs in late spring or early summer
Remarks
Females cement their eggs to the backs of males, who swim with the eggs attached, providing aeration and protection until the eggs hatch.
Adults often hang head-downward from the water surface, breathing air through a short tube at the end of the abdomen.
Adults can inflict a painful bite if handled but usually play dead when captured.
See Also
Lethocerus species are much larger (to 65 mm) and have more elongate bodies
Internet References
live adult image of male
B. flumineum carrying eggs (Edward Ross, enature.com)
adult images of
B. flumineum (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
pinned adult image of
B. lutarium (Paul Choate, U. of Florida)
