''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although '' A. immaculatus'' only is about , making it the smallest North American belostomatid and possibly worthy of separation in its own genus. Otherwise the different ''Abedus'' species are very similar and can often only be separated with a microscope. They will bite in self-defense, which is painful but not dangerous.

Behavior

Members of this genus generally do not fly, and at least some species, including ''A. herberti'', have a greatly reduced flight apparatus and are completely flightless. Despite being essentially aquatic ''Abedus'' may travel some distance overland and have been known to abandon streams after heavy rainfalls, allowing them to avoid being swept along in

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

Breeding

Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Abedus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily Lethocerinae), the female glues the eggs onto the male's back and the male tends them until the eggs hatch. The eggs are initially yellow-white but gradually change to gray-brown. They can be quite large compared to the size of the adult; in the up to ''A. herberti'' of highland streams in Arizona and northwestern Mexico each egg can measure as much as when fully developed. After hatching, the nymphs go through five instar stages before adulthood. Because of the unusual breeding behavior, especially ''A. herberti'' is often displayed in zoos, sometimes together with the

sunburst diving beetle ''Thermonectus marmoratus'' is a relatively colorful North American species of diving beetle known by the common names sunburst diving beetle and spotted diving beetle. The behavior of this diving beetle has been compared to a scuba diver, sinc ...

. These two species also occur together in the wild.

Feeding

''Abedus'' are

sit-and-wait predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey usi ...

s that catch small animals, especially invertebrates such as other aquatic insects and snails, but also small vertebrates such as young fish and tadpoles. Small and medium-sized prey items are caught with their strong front legs and stabbed with the proboscis, which injects a saliva that both incapacitates the prey and dissolves it. The largest food category (in ''A. herberti'', animals or more in length) are mostly scavenged. The only prey they regularly catch alive (not just scavenge) in the largest category is nymphs of their own species. Adults are generally highly cannibalistic towards their nymphs and older nymphs often eat younger; adults however only rarely cannibalize other adults.

Species

List of species:
Subgenus ''Abedus'' *''

Abedus breviceps ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Stål, 1862 *''

Abedus ovatus ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Stål, 1862 *''

Abedus parkeri ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Menke, 1966 Subgenus ''Deinostoma'' *''

Abedus decarloi ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Menke, 1960 *''

Abedus dilatatus ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' (Say, 1832) *''

Abedus herberti ''Abedus herberti'', the toe biter, is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae Belostomatidae is a family of freshwater hemipteran insects known as giant water bugs or colloquially as toe-biters, Indian toe-biters, electric- ...

'' Hidalgo, 1935 *''

Abedus immensus ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Menke, 1960 *'' Abedus indentatus'' (Haldeman, 1854) *''

Abedus stangei ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Menke, 1960 Subgenus ''Microabedus'' *''

Abedus immaculatus ''Abedus immaculatus'' is a species of water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is the only ''Abedus'' species found in the eastern United States, occurring throughout Florida north into Georgia and west along the Gulf Coast to Mississippi. ...

'' (Say, 1832) Subgenus ''Pseudoabedus'' *''

Abedus signoreti ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Mayr, 1871 *''

Abedus vicinus ''Abedus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in southern United States, Mexico and Central America. Sometimes called ferocious water bugs, these brown insects typically are between long, although ...

'' Mayr, 1871

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4666482 Nepomorpha genera Belostomatidae