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Giant water bug

Lethocerus americanus

名字的由來： Its nicknames come from its habits: 'toe biter' for its painful bite and 'electric light bug' for being drawn to lights at night.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

毛毛蟲和其他蟲子

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The giant water bug is a large, flat-bodied insect that lives in ponds, marshes and slow streams. It hunts other animals, including small fish and frogs, and it can give a painful bite if handled. It is found in southern Canada and the United States.1

分布在

Southern Canada and the United States, north of 35°N. Other Lethocerus species live further south.1

北美洲

首頁

It lives in ponds, marshes, and on the edges of lakes and slow-moving streams and creeks. Adults may fly at night and be attracted to electric lights.1

長度

5 cm 到 6 cm (2 in 到 2,4 in)1

最高速度

大約 0,9 km/h（0,56 mph）

游泳, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

Adults and young eat other insects, small crustaceans such as crabs and crayfish, tadpoles, frogs, snails and small fish. It grabs prey with its front legs and injects digestive toxins through a retractable proboscis like a mosquito's. Several bugs have been seen hunting and sharing the same prey.1

Giant water bug 的照片 — Giant water bug。照片：Ken-ichi Ueda。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Adults are about 5–6 cm long.1
It has natural camouflage that helps it hide in the water.1
It swims using its hind legs.1
Its front pair of legs is used to grab and hold prey.1

常被誤認為： It is often confused with Benacus griseus, which can be told apart by grooves on its front femora (the thick upper parts of the front legs) that fit the tibiae when folded. It is very similar to L. uhleri.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

The bug injects digestive toxins into its prey through its proboscis. It lets the prey digest for 10–15 minutes before it eats.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

A bite is painful and may happen if the bug is handled or disturbed. It prefers to avoid people rather than confront them.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When disturbed, it first tries to escape or play dead, then raises its front legs and hind end in a fighting stance, and may latch on and bite.1

如果牠咬人

被會螫人的毛毛蟲毛刺到時：用膠帶把毛黏起來，再清洗皮膚。不要搓揉。
被咬時：清洗並冷敷。如果傷者覺得不舒服或容易流血，要就醫。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2 塊玩具積木排成一排一樣長

Giant water bug 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻花園蝸牛 大約 0,05 km/h (0,03 mph)

Giant water bug 大約 0,9 km/h (0,56 mph)

一個正在游泳的人 大約 3 km/h (1,9 mph)

值得知道

小知識

It breathes air trapped under its wings, using two snorkel-like tubes at the back of its abdomen.1

Several bugs may hunt together and share the same prey.1

Few young survive to adulthood, because adults eat other nymphs and other predators also hunt them.1

It can be attracted to electric lights while flying at night, which gives it the name electric light bug.1

Adults survive winter by burrowing under mud and leaf litter.1

破解迷思

迷思： It is a 'toe biter' that goes looking for people to bite.

真相： It prefers to avoid humans. It bites mainly when it is handled or disturbed.1

給毒液專家

學名: Lethocerus americanus
類群: 毛毛蟲和其他蟲子
家人: Belostomatidae2
排序: Hemiptera
各大洲: 北美洲
寶寶: Eggs are laid on plants at the water's edge and may be guarded by an adult. Nymphs hatch about two weeks later, and a female may lay about 150 or more eggs in her lifetime.1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3