# Giant water bug!! 5<> inch wingspan



## Ted (Nov 11, 2007)

I caught this huge Belostomatid in Jamaica..it put up quite fight.:razz: 
i was mounting inverts tonight and thought i would post this fellow.
[compare its size to the size of the ones i collect locally, or compare it to the large emperor scorps..]

its about 4 inches long, and about a five inch+ wingspan.
the largest i've ever collected!


how big do they get in your area?


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## Mr. Mordax (Nov 11, 2007)

You're right, that thing is huge.  The biggest ones in Oregon I've seen are from the same genus (the one that starts with L that I can never remember and don't feel like looking up 'cause it's late and I'm tired), but they only get around the size of the "local" one on your invert block.

:clap:


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## beetleman (Nov 11, 2007)

that's a biggie alright:clap: we got some pretty good sized honkers down here in fla.


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## froggyman (Nov 11, 2007)

nice vinegaroon in the second pic


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## Stylopidae (Nov 11, 2007)

IHeartMantids said:


> You're right, that thing is huge.  The biggest ones in Oregon I've seen are from the same genus (the one that starts with L that I can never remember and don't feel like looking up 'cause it's late and I'm tired), but they only get around the size of the "local" one on your invert block.
> 
> :clap:


_Lethocerus americanus_


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## Ted (Nov 11, 2007)

should have seen the struggle it put up when i grabbed it.
its amazing how strong these things are.
as soon as its completely dry i'll take a few more size comparison shots.
does anyone know..what is is the largest species?


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## Mr. Mordax (Nov 11, 2007)

Don't know what the largest species is, but it's probably in the genus _Lethocerus_.


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## Ted (Nov 11, 2007)

IHeartMantids said:


> Don't know what the largest species is, but it's probably in the genus _Lethocerus_.


indeed it is..
the largest record i could find was 4.5 inches.
i assume there is larger.


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## beetleman (Nov 11, 2007)

Ted said:


> I caught this huge Belostomatid in Jamaica..it put up quite fight.:razz:
> i was mounting inverts tonight and thought i would post this fellow.
> [compare its size to the size of the ones i collect locally, or compare it to the large emperor scorps..]
> 
> ...


forget preserving that sucker!,invite your relatives over and have a thanksgiving feast w/that thing.......you can feed atleast another family or two


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## Ted (Nov 11, 2007)

beetleman; said:
			
		

> forget preserving that sucker!,invite your relatives over and have a thanksgiving feast w/that thing.......you can feed atleast another family or two


lol..my family isn't asian.


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## thedude (Nov 11, 2007)

i think there are some in other parts of south america that get a tad bigger than yours.. like hold you hand out flat w/ fingers closed and it will still be bigger.


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## Ted (Nov 11, 2007)

thedude said:


> i think there are some in other parts of south america that get a tad bigger than yours.. like hold you hand out flat w/ fingers closed and it will still be bigger.


awesome!!
will try to collect some when i'm out there.


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## Vfox (Nov 14, 2007)

How do you go about drying your more squishy insects btw?


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## Ted (Nov 14, 2007)

Vfox said:


> How do you go about drying your more squishy insects btw?


with squishy inverts such as tarantulas,it's pretty involved, but the guts have to be removed and replaced with something to hold the form shape.


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## Vfox (Nov 14, 2007)

Ted said:


> with squishy inverts such as tarantulas,it's pretty involved, but the guts have to be removed and replaced with something to hold the form shape.


I've been drying an emp and two T's over the past month or so. I gutted both, and stored them in a mixture of borax soap and baking soda. They are dry, but I just can't seem to get rid of the smell, any hints?


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## Ted (Nov 14, 2007)

Vfox said:


> I've been drying an emp and two T's over the past month or so. I gutted both, and stored them in a mixture of borax soap and baking soda. They are dry, but I just can't seem to get rid of the smell, any hints?


not much can be done about smell..dead insects stink..all mine do!:} 
i wished there was something..but it might not be worth the damage it may cause.


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## Mr. Mordax (Nov 14, 2007)

Scorps have a strong enough exoskeleton that you can soak them in acetone for several days (depending on size) and then let them air-dry without having to gut them.  Then they just have a sort of musky smell to them.


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## Curry (Nov 14, 2007)

Wow that thing is huge... Nice!


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## Ted (Nov 14, 2007)

IHeartMantids said:


> Scorps have a strong enough exoskeleton that you can soak them in acetone for several days (depending on size) and then let them air-dry without having to gut them.  Then they just have a sort of musky smell to them.


what will that supposedly do for them?
I dont recommend using acetone on inverts.
but if you have some knowledge i havent heard yet, am willing to look into it.


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## Mr. Mordax (Nov 15, 2007)

This was suggested to me by the curator of the OSU arthropod museum.  He said the dragonfly people do it to help preserve the color of their specimens (they just soak overnight).

I tried it with an adult _H. laoticus_ scorpion, and it worked great.  As far as I can tell it liquifies their insides and draws everything out, so there's nothing inside them to rot.  Since acetone replaces the water they dry out quite effectively.

I wouldn't recommend it for particularly soft-bodied arthropods, and you have to pose them before you soak them.

With scorpions it even leaves their exo intact enough to still fluoresce.


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## Ted (Nov 17, 2007)

IHeartMantids said:


> This was suggested to me by the curator of the OSU arthropod museum.  He said the dragonfly people do it to help preserve the color of their specimens (they just soak overnight).
> 
> I tried it with an adult _H. laoticus_ scorpion, and it worked great.  As far as I can tell it liquifies their insides and draws everything out, so there's nothing inside them to rot.  Since acetone replaces the water they dry out quite effectively.
> 
> ...


ive tried it with dragonflies, with limited success, especially with red ones.
i havent hd any problems drying large inverts, i just relax them, mount them, and dry them out..so far no probs.
the only problem inverts for me are large soft bodied spiders.
those take a bit of work.


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