The Japanese Giant Water Bug is a small, brown water bug, about 0.6–0.9 in (15–22 mm) long, that lives in ponds and rice paddies in Korea, Japan, and China. It's famous for its fatherly care: the female glues her eggs onto the male's back, and he carries them until they hatch. It doesn't occur in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 0.6–0.9 in (15–22 mm) long, brown, flat, and oval, with grasping front legs and a short breathing tube at the tip of the abdomen.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Ponds
- Rice paddies
- Still, weedy water
- Range
- Native to the Korean Peninsula, Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu), and China. Not found in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers still water with plenty of plants along the edges.
Behavior
- Diet
- A predator of small aquatic animals such as tadpoles, small fish, insects, and snails. It pierces prey with its beak and sucks up the liquefied insides.
- Overwintering
- Adults spend the winter in leaf litter, dry plants, or soil near the water.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- In Japan, mating takes place from late spring to early summer. Males carry the egg mass on their backs and bring it to the surface so the eggs get air.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Like other giant water bugs, it can give a painful jab if handled carelessly.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Status
- In Japan it is listed as Near Threatened, with declines linked to pesticides and invasive red swamp crayfish.
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