Giant water bug

Invertebrate - Belostomatidae

Giant water bugs (Belostomatidae) is a family of freshwater hemipteran insects also known as toe-biters, electric-light bugs, alligator ticks, or alligator fleas. They are the largest insects in the order Hemiptera. These predators are typically encountered in freshwater ponds, marshes and slow-flowing streams. Most species are at least 2 cm long, although smaller species, down to 0.9 cm, also exist.

 

Main Photo Credit: "American giant water bug (Lethocerus americanus), Quebec, Canada" by  Sylvia_heredia, 2025. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Description: Wikipedia

English

Term Dialect
Giant water bug Standard English

The Indigenous Knowledge App

A program of
The Arctic Eider Society