Similarities and differences from monkeys. The origin of man in the classical sense. How are humans different from apes?

But few people know that there are water bugs or smoothies, including giant species. Gladysh is part of a large family of insects - Hydrocores.

Since there are many, they all differ in their external characteristics, duration and lifestyle, nutrition, size, and sometimes truly unique specimens are found. The smooth bug not only moves quickly across the surface of the water, but also flies well. Such mobility is surprising given its impressive size.

What types of water bugs are there?

The water bug, unlike the bed bug, is absolutely harmless to humans. But if it is disturbed, like any insect it will defend itself by biting. Lives in fresh water bodies, rivers and lakes. The main menu consists of larvae, small insects. Large individuals of water bugs can feed small fish, frogs, sometimes attack turtles. The insect uses its wings located on its back very rarely, only for the purpose of searching for a new habitat and food.

The following types of water bugs are distinguished:

1. Water strider. It is found in absolutely all reservoirs, lakes and even puddles. Moves quickly across the surface of the water. The thin body resembles a stick and has three pairs of legs.
2. Grebljak. Body no more than 15 millimeters long. Males, using tubercles on their paws, are able to make sounds to attract females. Sometimes you can be scared of them, because... they suddenly fly out of the water. Greblyak is active not only in summer, but also in winter.
3. . The size of the insect does not exceed 15 mm and is distinguished by a flat abdomen, which is darker than the wings. If you touch it with your hand, it can sting, which is why it is nicknamed the water wasp.
4. - the biggest bug. Reaches 10-17 cm in length.

Two species deserve special attention: smooth and belostoma. These are giant water bugs that are unique but less well known than the common water strider.

Gladysh bug or water wasp

The main feature of the smoothie bug is its method of movement through water. Pushing off with its hind legs, it strokes the surface of the lake, quickly covering long distances. A favorable habitat is standing water, a pond or a lake. Sometimes smoothies can be seen not only on a pond, but also near the house, because he is attracted to night lights. On the back there are two pairs of transparent wings and elytra. Hunger forces the insect to rise into the air when the food supply in the next pond runs out.

On a note!

The bite is quite painful, but does not pose a health hazard.

Gladysh is an excellent hunter and master of camouflage. When immersed in water, it floats belly up, thanks to which it has the opportunity to control a significant area of ​​​​the reservoir. The insect's back in the water makes it invisible to fish. Having caught prey, the smoothie sprays it with a special enzyme, then pierces it and sucks out the internal contents.

Rubbing its proboscis with its feet, it makes sounds that resemble the chirping of a grasshopper. Smooth water bugs do not harm humans; they can only sting when picked up.

Giant bug - belostoma

The number of giant water bugs on the planet is quite small. They live in Southeast Asia and South Africa. The water bug in the photo looks scary, because its size reaches 17 centimeters in length.

Description of the belostomy:

• large front legs resembling a crayfish claw;
• the eyes are reticulated and large;
• the body is oblong, color from brown to black;
• long mustache.

Due to its impressive size and structure of the front legs, the Belostoma hunts frogs, turtles and fish. The water giant is a predator that for a long time may be waiting for its prey. It attacks quickly, first looking for a vulnerable spot on the body of the prey. It bites through the skin with its proboscis and injects a special secretion that dissolves the insides, and after a while the resulting clot is sucked out of the body.

Interesting!

If a common person If you see a giant bug and panic because of its size, then in Thailand belostoma is a delicacy and is being destroyed en masse.

When the life of the belostoma is in danger, it pretends to be dead and becomes numb. Sometimes it releases from a gland located on the abdomen a pungent odor that scares away the enemy.

Looking at a photo of an inhabitant of reservoirs, the question involuntarily arises, where are the ears of a water bug. In belostomy they are located in the middle segment of the body and are called the tympanic organ. The hearing organs are located on both sides of the body. The hearing aid has a round shape, which is covered with a stretched film that acts as a drum and protects against water penetration into the body. There are air sacs attached to it inside, thanks to which all sounds are amplified. They are joined by nerve endings that sense vibrations of the membrane.

After the belostoma wakes up from hibernation, she begins to actively feed, replenishing spent reserves nutrients. Then comes the period of mating, laying eggs and caring for the offspring. There are one hundred eggs in one oviposition. The female lays eggs on the male's back.

Gestation lasts two weeks. During this time, the male is constantly on the surface of the reservoir, because the future generation needs oxygen. During this period, the male eats less and becomes easy prey for predators. Therefore, by the end of larval maturation, the number of bedbugs decreases sharply.

The larvae, leaving the eggs, have soft bodies and are colorless. After time, the cover hardens and acquires the desired shade. Then the active feeding phase begins, they eat, grow and shed their chitinous shell, which quickly becomes small for them.

For a person, a giant bug does not pose a danger; it can only scratch it with its paw when it bathes in water. An enzyme that gets on the skin will cause discomfort, and the mark left by the insect will take a long time to heal.

The role of the giant water bug is difficult to overestimate. As a predator, it helps regulate the number of amphibians and insects on the planet. In Japan, a high mortality rate of three-keeled turtles was noted, which destroyed rice crops. During the observations, scientists determined that the cause of their death was the belostomas. But giant bugs also caused damage to fisheries by eating young fish released into lakes.

The line between benefit and harm from the presence of water giants on the planet is very thin. Do not forget that in nature everything is interconnected, from microorganisms to huge animals. Nature is unique - it needs to be valued and protected.

Most people associate bedbugs with domestic bloodsuckers and agricultural pests that spoil bread and crops. However, our planet is inhabited by many different arthropods belonging to different families, which differ in their unique body structure and habitat.

One of the most unusual insects is the smooth water bug, which can be found in the reservoirs of our country.

Let's take a closer look at what this insect is.

Description of the smooth water bug

The name of the insect speaks for itself, since The bug has a streamlined, boat-shaped body. This water beetle has three pairs of legs, of which the hind ones are the longest. The hind pair of legs is also covered with bristles, which serve as oars. From the surface of the reservoir, the insect captures a bubble of air, which it breathes and which plays an important role in buoyancy. This bubble clings to the lower part of the abdomen. On the head of the smoothie there are two eyes, which are very large compared to its head.

The insect's hind legs are designed for swimming in water, and not for moving on land, like most other members of the family. The front legs are more massive and somewhat resemble claws. The front legs are shorter than the rest. At the ends of the paws there are hooks that look like claws. They are necessary for securely capturing and holding prey.

Adult water bugs cannot breathe underwater, so they constantly rise to the surface of the water. The respiratory apparatus of insects includes two tubes located on the abdomen.

Smooth bedbugs can fly, but they use this ability only if they need to move to another body of water in order to find food. Also rise into the air when attracted by the light of lanterns. The insect has membranous and transparent wings, elytra dense and brown.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that males have unusual ability make sounds, which are very similar to the chirping of a grasshopper. This sound appears due to the friction of the front paws on the proboscis.

Smoothies lay their offspring in the form of eggs on the bottom of the reservoir, attaching them to algae and other aquatic plants. The eggs mature within two weeks. Moreover, the warmer the water in the reservoir, the faster the ripening process will proceed. Smoothie larvae are similar in appearance to adult individuals, but are slightly lighter in color. During the summer they go through four molts. Their shed chitinous cover is so similar to the bug itself that it can be easily confused with a living creature.

Male water bugs have a unique relationship with their offspring because females lay eggs on their elytra, and then the father takes all the care. In one clutch, the female is capable of laying about 100 eggs. In spring, the male, which is covered with eggs, becomes like a hedgehog.

Predator or not?

The water mite is a predator. Even small fish and frogs can be their prey, but in most cases, bedbugs eat fish fry, tadpoles, larvae and mosquitoes.

Smooth fish differ from many other species in their unusual swimming technique. After the bug has immersed itself in the water, it begins to turn over with its belly up. Thus, the insect keeps the surface of the reservoir under control and hunts. Smoothies live in stagnant water or in bodies of water with slow currents. The water bug can also be found in large puddles and large containers of water.

The insect lies in wait for its prey on stones or plants, and when it approaches the bug very close, it grabs it with its front paws and pulls it to its mouth. All aquatic insects feed almost the same. They insert their proboscis into the body of their prey and inject it with special substances that promote internal decomposition of organs. After this, the insects suck out the resulting liquid.

What are water bugs afraid of?

Despite the fact that bedbugs are predators, they can become someone's prey. However, their light back and dark belly, which changes color depending on the bottom of the reservoir, allow the insect to be invisible from the depths of the pond and from above for flying birds.

Are they dangerous to humans?

Water bugs do not pose any danger to people. If an insect bites a person, it will be nothing more than just protection. If a person approaches an insect, it can pretend to be dead or can scare away a potential enemy by throwing out its odorous secretion on him.

Water bugs migrate in the spring, seeking out new water reservoirs. This is why huge flocks of smoothies can stumble upon people. Since their flight speed is very high, such collisions are very unpleasant.

Water bug bite

The water bug is often called "water bee", since their bite is similar to the sensation after a bee sting. Most often, the bite occurs on the legs while swimming in ponds. As a rule, bedbugs bite a person if he tries to show curiosity about the insect by picking it up. If, after all, a bug bites a person, then there is no need to panic. Although the bite is painful, it does not cause any harm to health. Blisters and wounds appear at the site of the bite, which do not heal for a long time.

Water bugs, unlike bed bugs, as mentioned above, are completely safe for humans. Among them there are three main types:

• The water strider is found in absolutely all freshwater bodies of water and even puddles. These insects move quickly along the surface of the water. Their thin body looks like a stick. The water strider has three pairs of legs.
• Greblyak. The body of this species reaches a length of no more than 15 mm. Males use tubercles on their paws to make unique sounds to attract females. You can often get scared because these insects suddenly fly out of the water. Paddlers are active not only in summer, but also in winter.
• Gladysh is the insect discussed above. The size of the insect does not exceed 15 mm. It differs from other species by its flat belly, which is darker in color than the wings. If you touch a bug with your hand, it can sting, which is why it is also called a wasp.
• Belostoma is the largest water bug. It reaches 17 cm in length.

Giant belostoma bug

The number of giant water bugs in the world is insignificant. As a rule, white stoma can be found in southeast Asia and South Africa. Water bugs look quite scary, as they reach 17 centimeters in length.

Description of the belostomy:

• The insect has large front legs that look very similar to the claws of a crab.
• Eyes big size, mesh.
• The body of Belostoma has an oblong shape, the color can be brown or black.
• The insect has long antennae.

Due to its impressive size and the unique structure of its front legs, Belostoma preys on frogs, turtles and fish. These water giants are also predators that can wait for their prey for a long time.

The smooth water bug is a representative of the hemiptera family. This type of bedbug, compared to its relatives, has a relatively small body size (up to 1.5 cm). The color of the insect's chitinous shell depends on the color of the water surface of the reservoir and varies from greenish to brownish-yellow tones. Below is a photo of a water bug.

A pair of delicate wings, thanks to which the water bug is able to carry out relatively long flights, is securely hidden under the hard elytra. The smoothie prefers to fly at night, going in search of a reservoir rich in food.

One more distinctive feature Water bugs have rather large red-brown eyes. The mouthparts are similar to all relatives of the family of piercing-sucking bugs.

On a note!

The very strong proboscis of the smoothie can even pierce human skin. If taken carelessly, a water bug can inflict a rather painful bite, the cause of which is not so much a puncture as the caustic saliva secreted by the smoothie. The insect bite is in many ways similar to that of a wasp. That is why the smoothie is also called the “water wasp”, and in Germany the “water scorpion” or “water bee”.

Many people wonder where the water bug’s ears are, and whether it even has an auditory organ. For example, the belostomy has hearing organs in the middle segment of the body and is called the tympanic organ. According to researchers, the smooth bug is able to navigate in space thanks to its antennae, or rather the bristles located on them. The insect uses its antennae to squeeze an air bubble through which tension is constantly felt, signaling the need to rise upward.

What does it eat?

The smoothie bug is a predatory insect. It is fed by:

• fry;
• tadpoles;
• caddisfly larvae;
• worms and other small insects.

Having attacked the victim, the smoothie holds it with the help of its forelimbs, piercing the body of its prey with a sharp proboscis. The water bug then injects an antiseptic, causing the victim’s insides to liquefy. This allows you to suck out the resulting slurry without much difficulty.

Interesting!

Often the water bee itself becomes a victim of fish or birds. Even man does not disdain it. You can taste a dish made from this inhabitant of the aquatic expanses in a Thai restaurant.

Lifestyle

One more characteristic feature The smoothie bug is also characterized by its swimming method. By turning over on his back, he becomes invisible to his enemies (fish or birds). After all, the smooth and protectively colored body of an insect is almost impossible to detect from the depths. But swimming upside down, the smooth fish has the opportunity to see a decent area of ​​the reservoir. It spreads its limbs to the sides and, pushing off with its fins, moves smoothly through the water. From a bird's eye view it can be mistaken for a plant leaf.

Moving in this way along the surface of the reservoir, water bugs imperceptibly approach their future prey. They attack her with a sharp movement and begin to absorb the treat.

However, smoothies cannot remain in an inverted state for a long time. They are forced to change position and rise to the surface of the water due to lack of oxygen. Therefore, from time to time insects emerge to swallow another portion of air. It is precisely moments like these that can cost bedbugs their lives, as they become more visible and vulnerable.

Interesting!

In moments of danger, the smoothie tries to pretend to be dead. If such a number does not work, an unpleasant-smelling substance secreted by the insects is used, warning the enemy of the danger.

Habitat

Giant water bugs, including smooth bugs, can most often be found in stagnant bodies of water. However, one should not exclude the possibility of encountering an insect in an ordinary puddle or in a barrel of water. There is a high probability of finding a water bug even in a summerhouse. The fact is that their attention is very attracted to bright lighting. And since the activity of bedbugs occurs at night, it becomes clear why insects end up on terraces or verandas where lanterns are burning.

How does it reproduce

The mating season of water bees occurs in the spring. This type of water bugs belongs to insects with an incomplete transformation cycle, which includes two stages: larva and adult.

Fertilized females lay up to two hundred eggs, which can be located on the lower part of underwater plants or at the bottom of the reservoir. After 10-15 days (depending on the water temperature), larvae appear, which are a complete copy of their parents. They are distinguished from adult smoothies only by their smaller size and lighter color.

During the summer period, young offspring undergo several molts, turning into sexually mature individuals. The chitinous cover shed during the molting process has the exact outlines of its former owner, and therefore it is easy to confuse it with a living aquatic creature.

Some people are used to seeing bedbugs peacefully swarming under the roots of trees (soldier bugs), while others know them as malicious pests of grain fields, flowers and seedlings (for example,). Some people have to endure their presence in their own home (bed bugs). But the fact that there are also water bugs (smooth bugs, including giant ones) would be a revelation for many. Moreover, this is not a single species, but a whole group of insects - Hydrocores, and it deserves special attention.

Generally speaking, bedbugs from different families are quite different from each other. Each insect is unique in its own way, but there are also truly extraordinary specimens. For example, some bugs that live in water also turn out to be excellent flyers. How do they manage to exist in two elements at once - water and air?

So, meet the water bug or smoothie.

You can’t confuse Gladysh with anyone

Take a closer look at the photo of the smoothie bug. It absolutely lives up to its name:

His body, actually smooth and streamlined, resembles a boat, deftly and incredibly quickly cutting through the water. The water bug also has two powerful “oars” - these are the back pair of legs. They are significantly larger than the other limbs and bear elastic bristles. It is enough for the water bug to make a few strokes of the “oars” - and it has already moved a considerable distance.

This species of Hemiptera prefers bodies of water with standing water. But it is not at all necessary to be near lakes or ponds to see this water bug, because the smoothie settles in any puddle or in a barrel standing in the garden, and can even find itself on the veranda in the evening, attracted by the light of a lamp.

The water bug is capable of quite long flights. This insect rises into the air at night, usually with one purpose: to find a body of water rich in food. The smooth brown elytra and delicate membranous wings of a transparent color serve to fulfill this important mission.

Noteworthy are the two large (by insect standards) eyes. No one can escape the penetrating gaze of an aquatic predator.

Like all bedbugs, the smoothie has a piercing-sucking mouthparts. Having overtaken the victim, the water bug tenaciously holds it with its forelimbs, pierces its shell, injects a digestive enzyme during the bite and sucks the juice out of it.

This is interesting

Water bugs cannot be called silent. The male Gladysh is a real musician. It scrapes its front pair of legs along its proboscis, making a sound similar to the chirping of grasshoppers.

See also our experiments on bedbugs:

We catch bedbugs and test different products against them - see the results...

Strange habits of the “water bee”

A waterbug bite feels similar to a bee sting. Therefore, the Germans came up with a very suitable nickname for the smoothie - Wasserbiene, which translated means “water bee”.

The smoothie bug has one oddity that distinguishes it from other insects living in water. This water bug swims quite differently from how most insects do. A large creature with spread wings changes beyond recognition when it finds itself in the water column.

When diving, it turns upside down. It is this feature that helps representatives of the genus Notonecta hunt. The water bug controls the surface of the pond, where small insects and their larvae are easily found.

But any predator, having gaped, often turns out to be a victim. So the smoothie can easily be eaten by a bird or fish. True, nature gave him the opportunity to avoid a fatal meeting with the enemy. The back of the water bug is light, which makes it inconspicuous when viewed from the depths of the reservoir. The abdomen, on the contrary, is dark. Not every bird can see a water bug against the background of a dark bottom.

The smoothie bug reliably hides its eggs. Groups of light yellow eggs arranged in a circle can be found in May at the bottom of a reservoir or attached to the bottom of underwater plants. They ripen in about two weeks, and when the water is warm, they ripen faster.

The larvae, similar to their parents, only lighter, undergo four molts during the summer and reach sexual maturity. The chitinous cover remaining after molting so accurately follows the outline of the insect itself that it is easy to confuse it with a living individual.

Giant bedbugs are no joke

Gladysh is capable of causing serious damage not only to insects, but may also be responsible for the death of small fish. What then can we say about the giant water bugs, belostomas? They look menacing. Their powerful forelimbs resemble the claws of a crayfish and leave no hope that the prey will be able to escape the death grip of the predator.

The impressive size of the giant water bug (more than 10 cm in length) allows it to attack fairly large living creatures: frogs, turtles, fish. For the damage that water bugs cause to the inhabitants of reservoirs, they have earned the reputation of “fish killers.”

Fortunately, this type of insect is not yet found in Russia. Giant water bugs are a disaster for North America, South-East Asia And South Africa. Similar insects were found in one of the lakes in Western Europe.

Belostomas are distinguished by a touching attitude towards their offspring, and the lion's share of the worries about bearing children falls literally on the shoulders of the father: the female lays eggs directly on his elytra. Often about a hundred future bugs fit on it. IN spring period the male caring for the younger generation resembles a hedgehog

This is interesting

Thailand is famous for its special cuisine, unusual for European tastes. The Thais could not help but pay attention to such a “tidbit” as a giant water bug. Exotic lovers can try these insects in fried, and such food is in good demand. Due to the attractiveness of giant bedbugs as a food product, their numbers have declined catastrophically in some regions.

Are encounters with water bugs dangerous?

Generally speaking, the ordinary “Russian” smoothie is not a very aggressive bug, and it is unlikely that the crazy thought of attacking a person will occur to him. But when people, neglecting basic caution, decide to pick up an insect, it will immediately respond with a burning sting that will be felt for a long time. It is mainly the most curious and fearless children who suffer from water bug bites.

The giant water bug is also not inclined to prey on people, but it happens that swimmers bitten by the white stoma jump out of the water with their faces twisted in pain.

However, most often the water bug, when meeting a person, acts wiser: it pretends to be inanimate or uses a technique typical of most bugs - it throws out an odorous secretion in order to scare off the enemy. Fortunately, water bug bites are not life-threatening, although they are quite painful.

On a note

Belostomas can harm people in other ways. In early spring or in the fall, when instincts force them to rise on the wing, flocks of giant water bugs, moving at a decent speed, can run into people walking near bodies of water. These clashes do not promise anything pleasant.

No matter how menacing water bugs may seem to us, we should not be too afraid of them, much less destroy them en masse. Let's not forget that tireless smoothies destroy up to hundreds of mosquito larvae per day. The probability of being attacked by mosquitoes is disproportionately higher than being bitten by a mosquito.

And giant bugs are practically the only ones natural enemies three-keeled turtles, which pose a real threat to juveniles commercial fish. Any animal is part the food chain, and each participant in it must mind his own business. Water bugs are not living creatures that need to be feared and destroyed.

Interesting video: a giant water bug fights a real snake