Giant water bug!! 5<> inch wingspan

[Ted]

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?

 

[Mr. Mordax]

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:

 

[beetleman]

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

 

[froggyman]

nice vinegaroon in the second pic

 

[Stylopidae]

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

 

[Ted]

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?

 

[Mr. Mordax]

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

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[beetleman]

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?

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

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[thedude]

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.

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[Vfox]

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

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[Vfox]

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?

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

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.

 

[Curry]

Wow that thing is huge... Nice!

 

[Ted]

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.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

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.