Who is a water scorpion: an amazing predatory bug that lives under water
Water scorpions belong to the family of water bugs from the infraorder Nepomorpha. In total, there are about 230 species of these insects, united in 14 genera and 2 subfamilies.
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What does a water scorpion look like: photo
Water scorpion: description
A scorpion sitting motionless in ambush can easily be mistaken for a withered leaf that has fallen into a pond. A sedentary lifestyle, as well as the color and shape of the body, helps to mask the arthropod.
| Appearance | Outwardly, the insect looks like a scorpion, not a bug. It has an oval flat gray-brown body up to 2 cm long. The top of the abdomen is red at the edges. A small head with compound eyes is equipped with a strong proboscis and antennae. The front grasping limbs resemble claws, and behind there is a long caudal process from a pair of connected respiratory tubes. |
| Nutrition and Lifestyle | Water scorpions swim poorly and do not fly, which is why they live, as a rule, in stagnant fresh water, hiding in plants. They hibernate in air bubbles or move to land, where they hide in moss, rotten foliage and grass. The diet of arthropods consists of small insects, tadpoles, eggs and larvae, and with the onset of the hungry season, relatives. Paralyzing with poison and holding the prey, the scorpion digs into its body with its proboscis and sucks out the nutritious juices. |
| Breathing features of water scorpions | A predatory insect stores oxygen through a breathing tube that it raises above the water surface. Through it, air goes to the abdominal spiracles and from there - into the cavity under the wings. |
| Reproduction and life cycle | Water bugs mate in early spring or autumn, and in the first days of summer, the female lays up to 20 eggs on the surface of plants. The hatched larvae resemble adults in appearance, but the breathing tube appears in them after the last molt. The nymph stage lasts for 3 months, so that young scorpions hibernate already in adulthood. |
| How long does a water scorpion live | Under favorable conditions, arthropods can live for about 3-5 years. Although in nature, not all individuals manage to survive even the first winter. Dangers lie in wait for these insects everywhere. |
Range and habitats of water scorpions
Representatives of the species are common in Africa, Europe and Asia. There are many of them in places with water warmed up to 25-35 degrees: in pond thickets, swamps, silted riverbeds with an abundance of greenery, mud and small inhabitants.
Why are water bugs dangerous for humans?
The insect does not pose an immediate danger to humans, because it does not consider them as prey. In most cases, at the sight of a person, the bug simply pretends to be dead.
However, these arthropods should not be considered completely harmless creatures. In case of danger, a water bug can bite. Then a red spot is formed at the site of the lesion, in rare cases (with a bite of a tropical bug), an allergic reaction is observed.
To avoid a bite, you do not need to touch the insect and pick it up. If this nevertheless happened, the affected area should be treated with an antiseptic.
Natural enemies of water scorpions
Under natural conditions, water bugs have many enemies. They are eaten by fish, amphibians and birds. A threat is also represented by a water mite, gradually exhausting and causing the death of an arthropod.
Interesting facts about water scorpions
It is noteworthy that bed bugs can send out sounds reminiscent of the chirping of a grasshopper, and some species can store sperm after mating and reuse it.
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