''Appasus'' is a genus of
giant water bug
Belostomatidae is a family of freshwater hemipteran insects known as giant water bugs or colloquially as toe-biters, Indian toe-biters, electric-light bugs, alligator ticks, or alligator fleas (in Florida). They are the largest insects in the ord ...
s (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male
parental care
Parental care is a behavioural and evolutionary strategy adopted by some animals, involving a parental investment being made to the evolutionary fitness of offspring. Patterns of parental care are widespread and highly diverse across the animal k ...
. In ''Appasus'' 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.
Species
Partial list of species:
*''
Appasus ampliatus
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care
Parental care is a behavioural and evolutionary strategy adopted by some animals, i ...
''
(Montandon, 1914)
*''
Appasus capensis
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Appasus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily ...
''
(Mayr, 1843)
*''
Appasus grassei
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Appasus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily ...
''
(Poisson, 1937)
*''
Appasus japonicus
''Appasus japonicus'' is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is found in Japan and Korea, and has been much studied because it provides an example, rare among insects, of paternal care of the young. With the destruction ...
''
(Vuillefroy, 1864)
*''
Appasus major
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Appasus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily ...
''
(Esaki, 1934)
*''
Appasus quadrivittatus
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Appasus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily ...
''
Bergroth, 1893
*''
Appasus stappersi
''Appasus'' is a genus of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) found in freshwater habitats in Asia and Africa.
Giant water bugs exhibit male parental care. In ''Appasus'' and other species in the subfamily Belostomatinae (but not subfamily ...
''
(Montandon, 1916)
References
External links
image
Belostomatidae
Nepomorpha genera
Taxa named by Charles Jean-Baptiste Amyot
Taxa named by Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville
{{Nepomorpha-stub