Waterbug: a predator hiding in ponds

Bed bugs belong to the order of the semi-rigid winged, among its representatives there are families that live in water and on land. In the tropical latitudes of Asia and America, there is a giant waterbug. Adults reach 15 cm in length. This is a ruthless predator that attacks fish fry, frogs, snakes and turtles. The awesome appearance of the insect is given to the impressive size and forelimbs, curved in the form of ticks. Water bugs living in Russian ponds are significantly inferior in size. But they are no less aggressive predators that attack larvae, crustaceans and fry.

Variety of water bugs

Representatives of the semi-winged squad mastered not only land, but also the water surface. In the stagnant waters of a lake or a swamp, you can see insects that deftly glide over the surface. This water strider is one of the representatives of the family of water bugs. Its characteristic feature is long legs covered with microscopic hairs and an elongated body. Wingless and winged individuals are found. Larvae serve as food for them. Insects are widespread. They can be seen not only in large reservoirs, but also in puddles.

Gladysh is also a typical inhabitant of water bodies. He is an excellent swimmer who has mastered a special technique - backstroke. Stability on water provides him with a special body structure and powerful hind limbs. The ability to breathe gives a small air bubble attached to the abdomen. The bug is actively looking for food, it eats caviar, larvae, tadpoles and insects. Smoothie size - 15 mm. The back of the insect is painted in light gray, and the abdomen is brown in color.

This is a disguise that allows you to remain invisible to ducks and other waterfowl. The bug does not attack a person, but in case of a threat bites. Painful sensations comparable to a wasp sting.

Information. If food reserves run out in a pond, smoothies fly to another habitat.

Rowing is a shallow water bug living in a temperate climate. When diving, it holds a supply of air under the elytra. Rowing is a predator, its diet is eggs and hatching larvae. The insect has a special musical apparatus, when rubbing the teeth on the segment of the leg, it makes a chirp. A small insect often falls prey to larger predatory relatives.

Appearance of the Bialystoma

A close relative of the smoothies are representatives of the Bialystomy family (Belostomatidae). The giant water bug is 10 times larger than the usual inhabitants of Russian lakes. The length of his body is 15 cm. The shape of the body is flat and elongated, this helps to move around in the water column. The oral apparatus is a piercing-sucking type, traditional for this family. The proboscis is attached to the front of the head. A short curved organ resembles a beak. The eyes are large, reticulated, the antennae are articulate. Body color - dark or light brown.

The front wings of the bugs are half stiff and leathery. The rear is transparent, thin, shorter than the front. In a calm state they are folded and cover the abdomen.During a drought, the Bialystomy leave the ponds and fly in search of a new home. The body of bugs protects the chitinous cover. The hind legs are designed for swimming, they are covered with hairs that increase the raking surface. The forelimbs are shorter and more powerful than the rest. They end in a claw. This structure provides the ability to capture and hold prey in the process of introducing the proboscis. At the end of the abdomen of the insect are two breathing tubes. A small organ does not allow a large supply of air. To breathe oxygen, bugs have to raise the back of the body above the water.

Habitat

Giant insects prefer shallow ponds with stagnant water or weak currents. They well warmed up water, a lot of vegetation and inhabitants. Bialyst can be found in South and East Asia, Japan, South America, North Africa and the Far East. They live in fresh water, sometimes carried by ducts on the coast of the seas. In Japan, water bugs settle in rice fields. Florida residents have given them the nickname "Alligator Ticks."

Information. A large number of predatory whales harms fish farming. Water bugs eat fry.

Lifestyle

Bialystoma is a predator, its diet includes reptiles, fish, insects - all that it can catch and kill. Despite the fact that insects breathe air, they spend most of their life under water. The bug prefers to hunt from an ambush in shallow water. He lies in wait for the victim, hiding among stones or plants. The dark body perfectly disguises the predator. The giant sits patiently waiting for the prey to pass by.

Sensitive elements on the legs allow you to catch its approach. The insect quickly catches the victim with front claws. The skin of the prey is pierced with a proboscis, through which a paralyzing substance is inserted, which ceases resistance. Then a gastric enzyme is injected that dilutes the internal organs. After a while, the bug sucks the contents of the victim’s body.

Information. In Japan, for a long time they did not know who destroys the three-keel turtles, leaving the shell untouched. Watching a giant water bug gave a clue to this mystery.

Insects spends winter on land. It hibernates under the bark and foliage, in the crevices of stumps and trees. The state of suspended animation helps to survive the cold and lack of food, in which all life processes are slowed down as much as possible. In the spring, after rising air and water temperatures, they wake up. Hungry bugs begin to eat actively. For insects, the breeding season begins.

Hunt for giants

Białystok is attracted by electric light; at night, bedbugs fly to burning lighting devices. This property is used by insect catchers. At night, they set traps and turn on flashlights. In Southeast Asia, giant bugs are deep-fried and sold in markets. This dish, reminiscent of the taste of shrimp, is served in restaurants in Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and China. Due to mass capture, the number of insects in some regions fell to a critical level.

In the event of a threat, the waterbug of the belostom freezes, pretending to be dead. From the anus, he releases an unpleasantly smelling liquid that scares off enemies.

Interesting Facts About Breeding

The mating period is in the spring. Males attract the opposite sex with pheromones. After fertilization, the female lays eggs on the back of her partner. Within a few days, she glues about 100 eggs to his elytra with a sticky secretion. The ripening period of the embryos lasts about two weeks. Semi-winged insects are characterized by incomplete transformation. They go through three stages: egg, nymph, imago.

The larval stage of the bugs is called a nymph. During this period, the offspring is similar to an adult, but differs in small size. Bialystomy leaves eggs with a soft transparent body. Their cover will harden and stain after a few hours. From the first days, nymphs actively eat.Their diet consists of crustaceans, insect larvae. The nutrients they need for growth and molting. Before reaching puberty, nymphs several times drop the chitinous shell, which has become close at this stage. Each time the body of the larva grows, the genitals form, wings appear. It takes about a month to turn a water bug into an imago.

Offspring Care

The male Bialystoma shows parental care for future offspring. He not only wears eggs, but also monitors their full development. Every day the bug is selected on the surface for air baths that enrich with oxygen and prevent the appearance of fungi. Being in the lake, the male provides water circulation through the rotation of the hind limbs. Such manipulation contributes to the uniform distribution of air between the rows of eggs.

Caring for the offspring, the male can not hunt and almost stops eating. He is vulnerable to other predators, therefore, leads a secretive lifestyle. By the end of the breeding season, the number of males decreases sharply. But the survival rate of eggs is at a high level.

Assault on man

The sight of a large insect with powerful ticks can cause a swimmer to panic, but do not be very scared. Usually they measure the size of prey, so water bugs will not attack a person. Nevertheless, bite-bite bites for the fingers and toes are not excluded. This happens if you step on an insect or grab it with your hands. Often, curious children become a victim of a bite. The injected enzyme is not harmful to human health, but the wound is troubling for several days. The introduced substance prevents the overgrowth of the skin.

Often, a collision of a giant bug and a person occurs on land. This happens during the period of migration of insects from one reservoir to another. In spring and autumn at night, hundreds of whitewashed go to a new place of residence or wintering. The flight of the giants is an impressive sight, but it is better to admire it from a distance.

Water bugs are part of the natural food chain. Predators eating fish seem to be pests to humans. But they also destroy insect larvae, limiting the number of mosquitoes. In Asian countries, giant belostomy eat amphibians that harm rice crops. As a result of uncontrolled fishing in Japan, one of the species Belostomatidae is listed in the Red Book.