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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Species Benacus griseus - Eastern Toe-Biter

My friend the Giant Water bug - Benacus griseus

winged bug outside walmart - Benacus griseus

Benacus griseus (Eastern Toe-Biter)? - Benacus griseus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)

Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)

Infraorder Nepomorpha (Aquatic Bugs)

Superfamily Nepoidea

Family Belostomatidae (Giant Water Bugs)

Subfamily Lethocerinae

Genus Benacus

Species griseus (Eastern Toe-Biter)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Lethocerus griseus

Explanation of Names

Benacus griseus (Say 1832)

griseus 'gray'

Size

♂ 45-56 mm, ♀ 53-62 mm(1)

Range

e. Canada (QC-MB) to Honduras, West Indies(1)(2)(3)

Habitat

ponds and other bodies of still, shallow water

Works Cited

1.	Taxonomic revision of the subfamily Lethocerinae Lauck & Menke (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) Perez-Goodwyn P.J. 2006. Stuttg. Beitr. Naturkd., A (Biologie) 695: 1–71.

2.	Choate P.M. () Giant water bugs, electric light bugs, Lethocerus, Abedus, Belostoma (Insecta: Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)

3.	Checklist of the Hemiptera of Canada and Alaska Maw, H.E.L., R.G. Foottit, K.G.A. Hamilton and G.G.E. Scudder. 2000. NRC Research Press.

Contributed by Chuck Entz on 5 February, 2006 - 7:55pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, v belov
Last updated 21 July, 2023 - 8:15pm

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