Хотелось бы точно знать, что это было. Ведь явно не ракообразное – с такими-то крыльями. Мы подумали о гигантском водяном клопе. Размер тела внушительный – больше 10 см. Цвет коричневый, на земле его можно и не заметить. Учитывая наличие крыльев, появилось много вопросов: как дальше жить, ездить к родственникам, чувствовать себя при этом в безопасности, ведь выглядел полет существа пугающе. У него две мощные клешни впереди. А вдруг он и для людей опасен, ведь после укуса могут остаться сильные повреждения. Стоит ли нам бояться теперь. Буду признательна за быстрый ответ, Инна.
The author of the portal answers the question:
Such insects bite when they are defending themselves, for example, if you step on it, hit it. The pain will be severe, the damaged area will turn red, but that will be the end of the trouble. The symptoms will go away in 1 week. It is interesting that you have seen such a bedbug on land, because they live mostly underwater. They go ashore only when settling.
In my material below, you will learn many interesting facts about the whitetail and its way of life.
What does the white stoma look like. Description of the insect
The insect reaches a length of 1-17 cm. There are different species of these pestsand therefore there are differences between them. The smallest individuals barely reach 1 cm, but they are rare.
Most often you can see in nature representatives with a length of 10 to 15 cm. Rare insects reach 17 cm.
In addition to the impressive size, a number of other features of the appearance of these pests are noted:
- rigid shell, which prevents the insect from being injured by flying, falling;
- have wings, with the front ones more solid, and the rear ones thin, transparent;
- the body is oval, flattened, closer to the posterior end it is narrowed;
- The color is brown, and the shade can be different: it varies from light to darker.
- 3 pairs of limbs, they are located closer to the head, the front pair is more powerful, at the ends are claw-like spurs, thanks to which the insect quickly grabs the victim, firmly holding it;
- there are large eyes on the head, but the pest navigates also with the help of the senses.
Close-up photo: a giant water bug
Where does the white sturgeon live
You often hear the name Indian bedbug, but this pest occurs in many countries, not only in India. Resides it in the Neotropics, Neoarctic, Africa, Asia. Warm or at least temperate climates are suitable for the whitefly.
However, some individuals have also taken root in areas where it is quite cold, such as the Far East.
Insects of most species are able to flyBut they don't do it very often. The white stink bug is found in water bodies with a weak current; it prefers wetlands, freshwater reservoirs, rivers, ponds, and streams.
Lifestyle
The insects of this species are very unusual.
They are waterBut they breathe atmospheric air. Their body structure allows them to combine these possibilities. For example, the white stork has a breathing tube. The insect can completely retract it into itself. When it is necessary to get air, the giant water bug raises the back part of its body above water. With the help of the extended tube, the insect gets a portion of air, which allows it to descend again to the bottom of the reservoir, where the hunt is conducted.
The whitefly is a predatory insect. This means that the bedbug attacks other creatures and does not feed on plants. But such a pest is free around smaller prey. If the predator finds itself near a large creature, a natural enemy or feels threatened, it immediately pretends to be dead. Outwardly, it can be mistaken for a rotten last year's leaf. The color of the insect contributes to this, as well as the shape of the body and the pattern on the body, which is formed due to the folded wings.
The migration of pests of this species occurs when there is a decrease in the amount of food.
Then the water bug whitetail uses its wings to move to another area where there is a body of water. And there is no difficulty in this case. This predator, though heavy, is free to take to the air. Its wings are large enough to support the bug's own weight. The white stinker does not stay in the pond forever. The bedbug has a habit of hibernating on land. To do this, it climbs into hollow places: cracks in stumps, under the bark. This possibility appears due to the flattened body of the pest.
The rigid outer covers are not traumatized in this case, because the outer covers are sufficiently strong. These insects also feel free in the water. They are able to swim. Such a possibility is provided due to the presence of hairs on the limbs. The considerable length of the legs also contributes to the movement under water. When the pest is busy hunting prey, it sits motionless on plants, rocks. In the water column giant bugs are invisible due to these features.
Whitetail Nutrition
Such insects choose victims that are inferior to their own size. These can be turtles, fish, frogs. And it does not matter to the insects whether the victim is small (like fry) or larger. Sometimes giant water bugs choose as food inhabitants of water bodies, which are much larger than the predator itself.
The free choice of food source is due to the characteristics of the diet.
Thus, the squirrelfish digests food even before it enters the digestive tract. This is due to the fact that bedbug injects a special substance, an enzyme, into the body of the potential victim. It is thanks to this enzyme that the process of food digestion begins even before it enters the body of the pest. At the same time, the victim dies quickly. Its body tissues decompose and turn into a liquid substance. In this case, the squirrel waits patiently for the "dinner" to be ready. After some time, the bedbug gets
the ability to suck the nutrient fluid. When someone meets such a predator, learns about the peculiarities of feeding (the insect consumes turtles, snakes), a picture of the insect eating crustaceans, amphibians whole appears before the eyes. In fact, the bedbug does not have the ability to make a full-fledged bite, it has a stabbing-sucking type mouthpiece. This allows the pest to pierce the body of its potential victim.
Then the insect literally sucks all the juices out of the creature that became the food.
Close-up photo: a squirrel eats a snake
Close-up photo: feeding of the squirrel turtle
Close-up photo: eating a frog
The main features of white strawberry reproduction
For mating the female is active - she is the one interested in finding the male. This is due to the fact that the bugs of this species have switched roles. Thus, the male shows great care for the offspring. The task of the female is to make a clutch of eggs. And for this she chooses the most unexpected places. Species of other species lay eggs on the surface of aquatic vegetation. Others use their brethren for this purpose.
Thus, females can lay eggs on the back of the male.
The way of life of the white sturgeon differs only slightly from that of other insects. Otherwise pests convergence among themselves. For example, they note the possibility of attracting a mating partner. Special enzymes are used for this purpose. Other insects respond to them thanks to their senses.
The breeding period of giant water bugs begins in spring. And the female makes a clutch in several approaches. The back of the male is a reliable shelter for the offspring. But when the insects move, the risk of damaging or losing the eggs increases. To prevent the offspring from being carried away by the current, female bed bugs secrete a special secret that firmly "glues" the eggs to the male's back.
Caring Daddies
A water bug behaves like a real parent:
- The male knows exactly when to do this, which sometimes makes him a better parent than the female, who does not participate in carrying the offspring in any way;
- The male periodically rises to the surface of the water, he does this to protect the offspring from fungus: when the eggs are heated by the sun, ultraviolet provides a disinfecting effect, due to this all microorganisms die, which is an important stage of hatching, because the eggs are quite large - up to 100 pieces, and therefore they are densely arranged;
- water bug with eggs on its back hides until the larvae appear, it does this to keep them from danger, because during a fight with an enemy, a potential victim there is a risk of injury to the offspring, as a result, the insect does not hunt during the process of hatching larvae inside the protective shells.
The male does not mate during this period. Despite increased care, he dies as soon as the larvae emerge.
Is whitetail dangerous for humans
Insects of this species live at the bottom of water bodies and also travel through the air. This increases the probability of encountering them. The risk of contact with the white sturgeon is high also because of the inconspicuous appearance of the insect - the brown color does not allow recognizing the pest at the bottom of the pond. Accordingly, a person sometimes encounters such bedbug.
The predator himself does not consider the person as a food source. The white sturgeon injects a small amount of nerve poison into the body of its victim (turtle, fry, snake). It is impossible to hit a human. However, the pest sometimes bites people. This happens if the bedbug suddenly senses danger. Then it attacks.
The harm a water bug can do to people
During contact with the insect, there is severe pain. This is said by all people who have had to deal with the pest. But the discomfort goes away quite quickly, which cannot be said about the other symptoms of the bite. When a bedbug attacks, still some amount of poison enters the human body. This affects the rate at which the injured tissue heals.
As a result, the bite takes longer to pass than after contact with other insects - it may take 2-3 weeks. There is also a risk of developing allergieswhich is influenced by a person's degree of sensitivity. Most often a red spot remains, and it is darker in the center. Sometimes there is a local increase in temperature, which is caused by the development of an inflammatory process. Itching also occurs.
In this case, treatment should be symptomatic.
Photo: The threat of a bite from a giant water bug
At what symptoms you should see a doctor
Despite the fact that bite heals for quite a long time, you need to monitor the process. If after 2-3 weeks the skin is still inflamed, painful, the red spot is not reduced, pus has appeared, you should consult a doctor. This could be a sign of infection.
In severe cases, an abscess must be opened and the wound washed out.
What are mecheus whitestomatids, aka giant bedbugs
This is the name of one of the species of squirrels. They are large and do not differ much from other brethren in their lifestyle. The principle of reproduction is the same - the clutch is made on the back of the male. Insects have the ability to fly, they do not die in winter, but stay on land and hibernate.
Emergence of a new species of insect of the family Belostomatidae - Mecheus
The mecheus is believed to be a recently discovered species of water copepus. In fact, such insects have been known for a long time. If such headlines are still found now, they should not be taken seriously. It seems more like drawing attention to less interesting content.
Belostoma - an exotic delicacy
In Asia (some regions) these insects are eaten. They taste differently. Some people think that bed bugs have a specific taste. Others claim that they resemble chicken, shrimp. But such food is usually eaten by locals, not all Europeans or tourists from other countries risk tasting the predator.
Interesting photo: fried bed bugs of the family Belostomatidae
Bedbugs are a favorite delicacy of some peoples
The water bug is prepared in different ways:
- by drying it out;
- frying method.
In both cases, the insects are not ground. They are consumed in a dry form, and the whites are a kind of snack, they are gnawed.
Such food is used as a snack and can be bought at street food outlets.
In addition, insect glands located in the anus are used. They are used instead of spices to give a specific flavor to dishes.
Significance for the ecological system
The water bug helps control the numbers of many pests, including snakes, the three-legged turtle, and some insects, as they destroy beneficial creatures. For example, the three-legged turtle feeds on fish and other aquatic life. To prevent some species from extinction, predators such as the white-tailed turtle destroy the natural enemies of many other creatures. They live where there is enough food.
Belostoma received a new conservation status
In recent years, the number of bed bugs that are destroyed for food has decreased significantly. Now the predators themselves may disappear from their natural habitat. For this reason, the whitetail has been included in the Red Book.
Reviews
Opinions of experts
- white sturgeon is found not only in standing water (marshes, ponds), but also in rivers if the current is weak, so there is a risk of biting a person who came for a swim;
- It is not necessary to destroy whiteflies, even if they bite you, as it is a useful predator, it is better to draw conclusions from the situation, try not to step on the bottom, avoid old stumps, trees before the winter, as bed bugs seek shelter here.
Conclusion
The white sturgeon is a large predator among insects. It lives in water bodies with a weak current or standing water. It can also move through the air. To avoid contact with it, it is necessary to learn more about the peculiarities of its lifestyle:
- The body length is 15 cm (average) and the coloration is brown. The forelimbs are powerful, and the carapace is rigid, which makes the insect look like a crustacean.
- The bedbug feeds on creatures that are no larger than itself: frogs, other insects. However, larger prey can also be killed by the whitefly: a snake, a turtle.
- The insect is listed in the Red Book. This is due to the fact that the pests are caught in Asia for food.
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