Abedus herberti

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Abedus herberti
Abedus herberti.jpg
Male with eggs on his back at the Cincinnati Zoo
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Belostomatidae
Genus: Abedus
Species:
A. herberti
Binomial name
Abedus herberti
Hidalgo, 1935

Abedus herberti, the toe biter (a name also used for several other giant water bugs) or ferocious water bug, is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. [1] [2] It is native to streams, especially in highlands, in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in the United States and in northwestern Mexico. [3] [4] Adults are typically 2 to 4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) long. [3] [5] The species is flightless, but may move overland between water sources. [3] It will bite in self-defense, which is painful but not dangerous. [3]

Contents

A. herberti is often displayed in zoos, sometimes together with the sunburst diving beetle. [6] These two species also occur together in the wild. [7]

Behavior

Several A. herberti, including both males with eggs on their back and individuals without eggs Giant Water Bugs 001.jpg
Several A. herberti, including both males with eggs on their back and individuals without eggs

As in its relatives, A. herberti has an unusual breeding behavior where the female attaches the eggs to the male's back and he takes care of them until they hatch into nymphs. [3] Each egg can measure as much as 6 mm × 2 mm (0.24 in × 0.08 in) when fully developed, making them some of the largest insect eggs. [5] After hatching from the eggs, the nymphs go through five instar stages before adulthood. [8]

A. herberti is a sit-and-wait predator that catches small animals, especially invertebrates such as other aquatic insects and snails, but also small vertebrates such as young fish and tadpoles. [7] Small and medium-sized prey items are caught with their strong front legs and stabbed with the proboscis, which injects a saliva that both incapacitates the prey and dissolves it. [7] The largest food category (animals 1.2 cm [0.5 in] or more in length) are mostly scavenged. The only prey they regularly catch alive (not just scavenge) in the largest category is nymphs of their own species. [7] Adults are generally highly cannibalistic towards their nymphs and older nymphs often eat younger; adults however only rarely cannibalize other adults. [7] [8]

Subspecies

These two subspecies belong to the species Abedus herberti:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemiptera</span> Order of insects often called true bugs

Hemiptera is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from 1 mm (0.04 in) to around 15 cm (6 in), and share a common arrangement of piercing-sucking mouthparts. The name "true bugs" is often limited to the suborder Heteroptera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reduviidae</span> Family of insects

The Reduviidae is a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera. Among the Hemiptera and together with the Nabidae almost all species are terrestrial ambush predators; most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic. The main examples of nonpredatory Reduviidae are some blood-sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae. Though spectacular exceptions are known, most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable; they have a relatively narrow neck, sturdy build, and a formidable curved proboscis. Large specimens should be handled with caution, if at all, because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerridae</span> Family of true bugs

The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, water gliders, water skimmers or puddle flies. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as true bugs, gerrids have mouthparts evolved for piercing and sucking, and distinguish themselves by having the unusual ability to walk on water, making them pleuston (surface-living) animals. They are anatomically built to transfer their weight to be able to run on top of the water's surface. As a result, one could likely find water striders present in any pond, river, or lake. Over 1,700 species of gerrids have been described, 10% of them being marine.

<i>Arilus cristatus</i> Species of true bug

Arilus cristatus, also known as the North American wheel bug or simply wheel bug, is a species of large assassin bug in the family Reduviidae and the only species of wheel bug found in the United States. It is one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America, reaching up to 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length in its adult stage. It is sexually dimorphic, in that males are somewhat smaller than the females. A characteristic structure is the wheel-shaped pronotal armor. North American wheel bugs prey on caterpillars and beetles, such as Japanese beetles, the cabbage worm, orange dogs, tent caterpillars, and the Mexican bean beetle, all of which they pierce with their beak to inject salivary fluids that dissolve soft tissue. The North American wheel bug is most active in daylight, but may engage in predatory behaviors at night in areas illuminated by lights. Because most of its prey are pests, the wheel bug is considered beneficial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepidae</span> Family of true bugs

Nepidae is a family of exclusively aquatic Heteropteran insects in the order Hemiptera. They are commonly called water scorpions for their superficial resemblance to scorpions, due to their raptorial forelegs and the presence of a long slender process at the posterior end of the abdomen, resembling a tail. There are 14 genera in the family, in two subfamilies, Nepinae and Ranatrinae. Members of the genus Ranatra, the most widespread and species-rich genus, are sometimes called needle bugs or water stick insects as they are slenderer than Nepa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belostomatidae</span> Family of true bugs

Belostomatidae is a family of freshwater hemipteran insects known as giant water bugs or colloquially as toe-biters, Indian toe-biters, electric-light bugs, alligator ticks, or alligator fleas. They are the largest insects in the order Hemiptera. There are about 170 species found in freshwater habitats worldwide, with more than 110 in the Neotropics, more than 20 in Africa, almost as many in the Nearctic, and far fewer elsewhere. These predators are typically encountered in freshwater ponds, marshes and slow-flowing streams. Most species are at least 2 cm (0.8 in) long, although smaller species, down to 0.9 cm (0.35 in), also exist. The largest are members of the genus Lethocerus, which can exceed 12 cm (4.5 in) and nearly reach the length of some of the largest beetles in the world. Giant water bugs are a popular food in parts of Asia.

<i>Lethocerus deyrollei</i> Species of true bug

Lethocerus deyrollei is a species of giant water bug that traditionally is included in the genus Lethocerus, although recent authorities place it in the monotypic Kirkaldyia. They are large, predatory and nocturnal insects. They are one of the best known giant water bugs and are found in Japan, Korea, east China, east Indochina and the Amur region of Russia. They are very common in much of their range, but have declined drastically in some regions and are considered threatened in Japan and Korea. They live in still waters with vegetation, hatching in the summer months and then overwintering half a year later as adults. They primarily feed on small fish, amphibians and aquatic insects, but have also been recorded taking water snakes and young turtles.

<i>Lethocerus</i> Genus of true bugs

Lethocerus is a genus of the hemipteran family Belostomatidae, known colloquially as giant water bugs, toe biters and electric light bugs, distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas of the world. The greatest diversity of species occurs in the Americas, with only a single species in Europe, two in Africa, two in Australia and three in Asia. It includes the largest true bugs with species capable of reaching a length of over 12 centimetres (4.7 in). The South American L. grandis and L. maximus are the only species to commonly exceed 9 cm (3.5 in), with more typical lengths for the remaining species being between 4.5 and 9 cm. Lethocerus sp. are distinguished from other genera in the Lethocerinae by two symmetrical furrows in the inner pad of setae on the fore femur, the external borders of parasternites II and III narrowed and nearly straight, and with the setae of the tarsomeres following the line of the tibial setae.

<i>Lethocerus americanus</i> Species of true bug

Lethocerus americanus, sometimes called the electric light bug, toe biter or fish killer, is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae, native to southern Canada and the United States. It typically has a length around 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in). It was originally classified as a species in genus Belostoma.

<i>Thermonectus marmoratus</i> Species of beetle

Thermonectus marmoratus is a relatively colorful North American species of diving beetle known by the common names sunburst diving beetle and yellow-spotted diving beetle. The behavior of this diving beetle has been compared to a scuba diver, since it carries with it a bubble of air as it dives down into the water. Its aquatic larval stage was the first ever recorded use of bifocals in the animal world. The beetle uses in its principal eyes two retinas and two distinct focal planes that are substantially separated, in the manner of bifocals to switch their vision from up-close to distance, for easy and efficient capture of their prey.

<i>Gargaphia solani</i> Species of true bug

Gargaphia solani is a subsocial species of lace bug commonly known as the eggplant lace bug. The species was described by Heidemann in 1914 after it aroused attention a year earlier in the United States as an eggplant pest around Norfolk, Virginia. Fink found that the species became an agricultural pest when eggplant is planted on a large scale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessaratomidae</span> Family of true bugs

Tessaratomidae is a family of true bugs. It contains about 240 species of large bugs divided into 3 subfamilies and 56 genera.

<i>Abedus</i> Genus of true bugs

Abedus is a genus of giant water bugs found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between 2.3 and 4 cm (0.9–1.6 in) long, although A. immaculatus only is about 1.3–1.4 cm (0.51–0.55 in), making it the smallest North American belostomatid and possibly worthy of separation in its own genus. Otherwise the different Abedus species are very similar and can often only be separated with a microscope. They will bite in self-defense, which is painful but not dangerous.

<i>Notonecta undulata</i> Species of true bug

Notonecta undulata, also known by the common name grousewinged backswimmer, are from the family Notonectidae and the insect suborder Heteroptera. They are a type of hemipteran or true bug. These aquatic insects typically spend their time at the water's surface, using their abdomen and legs to cling to the underside of the surface tension. The Grousewinged backswimmer can be found in both lotic and lentic environments; however, they typically prefer small ponds and lakes where the water is slow-moving with less current. They swim upside down looking for prey. Once they stop swimming they float back up to the surface. These insects can be distinguished from water boatman or Corixidae by their segmented beak and front legs. Water boatman have highly modified front legs whereas backswimmers do not. Backswimmers are distributed across a broad range throughout North America. However, the species Notonecta undulata has only been documented and studied in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the western United States. N. undulata differs from other backswimmers by their antennae and size. They are approximately 10–12 mm long, and their antennae are 4 segmented.

<i>Belostoma flumineum</i> Species of true bug

Belostoma flumineum is a North American species of giant water bug. They are a common predator in ponds and wetlands. They are relatively large, reaching 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) in length. As with other species of the Belostomatidae family, the fathers take care of the offspring. Exclusive paternal care has been the focus of many studies done on this species. Other studies have been done on food webs and predation pressure using this species because they are an apex predator in their preferred habitats.

<i>Lethocerus patruelis</i> Species of true bug

Lethocerus patruelis is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is native to southeastern Europe, through Southwest Asia, to Pakistan, India and Burma. It is the largest European true bug and aquatic insect. Adult females are typically 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in) long, while the adult males are 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in).

<i>Belostoma</i> Genus of true bugs

Belostoma is a genus of insects in the hemipteran family Belostomatidae, known colloquially as giant water bugs. Members of this genus are native to freshwater habitats in the Americas, with the greatest species richness in tropical South America. Most species in the family Belostomatidae have historically been included in Belostoma, but several of these have been moved to other genera. 9 species are claimed to be found in Northern America, but the genus Belostoma is actually divided into 16 subgroups containing about 70 species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant mesquite bug</span> Species of insect

The giant mesquite bug is an insect of the order Hemiptera, or the "true bugs". As a member of the family Coreidae, it is a leaf-footed bug. As the common name implies, it is a large bug that feeds on mesquite trees of the American Southwest and Northwestern Mexico.

<i>Appasus japonicus</i> Species of true bug

Appasus japonicus is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is found in Japan and Korea, and has been much studied because it provides an example, rare among insects, of paternal care of the young. With the destruction of its typical habitat and its poor dispersal abilities, it has been listed as being an endangered species in Japan.

<i>Abedus immaculatus</i> Species of true bug

Abedus immaculatus is a species of water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is the only Abedus species found in the eastern United States, occurring throughout Florida north into Georgia and west along the Gulf Coast to Mississippi.

References

  1. "Abedus herberti Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  2. "Abedus herberti". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  3. M.T. Bogan; O.G. Gutiérrez-Ruacho; J.A. Alvarado-Castro; D.A. Lytle (2013). "New Records of Martarega, Graptocorixa, and Abedus (Heteroptera: Notonectidae, Corixidae, Belostomatidae) From Northwestern Mexico and Arizona, Including the First Record of Graptocorixa emburyi In the United States". The Southwestern Naturalist. 58 (4): 494–497. doi:10.1894/0038-4909-58.4.494.
  4. 1 2 R.L. Smith; C. Horton (1998). "Fish predation on giant water bug (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) eggs in an Arizona stream". Great Basin Naturalist. 58 (3): 292–293.
  5. O’Sullivan, T. "Captive rearing study of the Thermonectus marmoratus" (PDF). St. Louis Zoo. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 J. Velasco; V.H. Millan (1998). "Feeding Habits of Two Large Insects from a Desert Stream: Abedus herberti (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae) and Thermonectus marmoratus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)". Aquatic Insects. 20 (2): 85–96. doi:10.1076/aqin.20.2.85.4500.
  7. 1 2 R.L. Smith (1974). "Life History of Abedus herberti in Central Arizona (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 89 (2): 272–283. doi: 10.1155/1974/83959 .