Anyone knows what big creature this is? Part 2

[AlanMM]

Also from Costa Rica. I guess bodylength around 12 cm (4 inch).

Anyone got an idea what this is?

 

[mrbonzai211]

I know that it is an aquatic beetle that constructs little burrows in the soft bed of small streams and bodies of water. They prey on small fish or anything else they can capture. I believe they do fly and that's all I can think of at the moment.

No idea about a common or scientific name although I'm somewhat familiar with insects similar to this that live in the US.

 

[lukatsi]

This is a giant waterscorpion (family Belostomatidae, I don't know the species). They can fly very well, and as far as I know they have a terrible bite. Very nice!

 

[bugster]

Giant Water Bug

yep, that's right but the common name is Giant Water Bug rather than scorpion and Belostomatidae is correct. They can fly and adults reach up to 4 inches in length (tropical species may get larger). They can bite and will do so readily in defense. They're fried and eaten fairly commonly by many in southeast Asian countries.

 

[AlanMM]

Thanks again.

 

[Stylopidae]

Okay...totally not a beetle. No elytra.

These are predators...sitting and waiting while camoflauged and pouncing on things which get close. They'll hang out on a perch and blend into the environment until they see their meal, capture it, inject it with digestive enzymes and then eat it ala assassin bugs.

Looks like a Lethocerus species to me, just going by the size and general shape.

Actually a very interesting group of critters...male parental care...largest of the hemiptera.

Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_water_bug

 

[lukatsi]

the common name is Giant Water Bug rather than scorpion

My mistake, we call the smaller ones waterscorpions, though I know they are true bugs.
Male parental care? Interesting.

 

[AlanMM]

sitting and waiting while camoflauged and pouncing on things which get close. They'll hang out on a perch and blend into the environment until they see their meal, capture it, inject it with digestive enzymes and then eat it ala assassin bugs.

So that would have hurt if this had pinched my hand...
Depending on there aggresiveness of course...

 

[cacoseraph]

So that would have hurt if this had pinched my hand...
Depending on there aggresiveness of course...

it is related to assassin bugs. they have a beak/proboscis/rostrum that they use to inject venom/digestive enzymes.

it would have hurt, most likely