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Genus Abedus

Abedus herberti teneral 2nd instar - Abedus herberti

Water Bug in Ramsey Creek - Abedus herberti

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 Belostomatinae

Genus Abedus

Explanation of Names

Abedus Stål 1862

Numbers

7 spp. in our area(1)

Size

13-40 mm

Identification

Easily recognizable by strongly reduced forewing membrane. Abedus immaculatus (Say) is the smallest belostomatid species found in North America. The larger, western species of Abedus are intermediate in size between Belostoma and Lethocerus(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

Range

so. US(1)

A. breviceps: AZ, NM, sw. TX

A. herberti: AZ to UT and NM

A. immaculatus: FL to GA and MS

A. indentatus: CA

A. ovatus: se. AZ

A. parkeri: se. AZ

A. vicinus: se. AZ

Works Cited

1.	Aquatic Insects of North America R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, M.B. Berg. 2008. Kendall/Hunt.

2.	How to Know the True Bugs Slater, James A., and Baranowski, Richard M. 1978. Wm. C. Brown Company.

3.	Identification manual for the aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida Epler J.H. 2006. FL Dept. Env. Prot., Tallahassee, FL. 186 pp.

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

5.	A taxonomic study of the genus Abedus Stål (Hemiptera, Belostomatidae) Menke A.S. 1960. UC Publ. Entomol. 16: 393‒439.

Contributed by Eric R. Eaton on 10 November, 2006 - 2:57pm
Additional contributions by v belov, Brady Richards, mpintar
Last updated 16 November, 2020 - 12:13pm

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