Giant Water Bug Stalks and Devours Fish

[Buster's Uncle]

Giant Water Bug Stalks and Devours Fish
LiveScience.com
by Megan Gannon, News Editor  23 hours ago

This image shows the larva of a giant water bug feeding on a small fish.

Insects are pretty low on the food chain, but there are some bugs that turn the tables, making meals out of other animals like fish and amphibians.

Scientists have captured video footage of a ferocious water bug ambushing a small fish and eating it from the inside out.

The unlikely predator, Lethocerus patruelis, is the largest European water insect, measuring more than 3 inches long (8 centimeters) in adulthood. It belongs to the Belostomatidae family of insects, which are commonly called electric light bugs or toe-biters. Their bite is considered one of the most painful to humans, but it doesn't have any harmful medical effects.

These bugs are big enough to capture and devour small crustaceans, fish and amphibians. There have even been some reports of the insects eating turtles and snakes. When they attack, the aquatic bugs inject caustic digestive saliva into their prey, liquefying their meal from the inside before they suck out the contents.

Lethocerus patruelis is found throughout the Balkan Peninsula, Anatolia, and parts of the Middle East. The researchers captured the video while studying the male reproductive system of the species. Their findings were published in the journal ZooKeys.

http://news.yahoo.com/giant-water-bug-stalks-devours-fish-164551081.html

Of interest, Uno?

-One of the things I take into account in deciding whether to post any given science story is if I know of any forum members into the subject.  Bug do not interest me much, so feedback is good, if you like bugs.

[Unorthodox]

"unlikely predator"?  THEY ARE a predator.  Kept the utah version as a pet for years.  There's a display down at the local aquarium that has the offspring still showing kids how they do this, live. 

Funny thing on this specific bug, former job, I had a standing wager that no one could stump me.  They had a couple of these get stuck on glue traps this spring, stumped their exterminator.  I got a crappy text photo from a coworker, and had it ID'd in about 2 seconds, before any of the follow on photos had made it to my phone. 

Kind of shocked this is in the news, honestly. 

Funny pet story that's in my book o links:  http://somethingscrawlinginmyhair.com/2009/05/30/giant-water-bug/