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''Lethocerus'' is a genus of the hemipteran family Belostomatidae, known colloquially as giant water bugs, distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas of the world. The greatest diversity of species occurs in the Americas, with only a single species in Europe, two in Africa, two in Australia and three in Asia.〔 It includes the largest true bugs with species capable of reaching a length of over .〔Haddad Jr; Schwartz; Schwartz; and Carvalho (2010). ''Bites Caused by Giant Water Bugs Belonging to Belostomatidae Family (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) in Humans: A Report of Seven Cases.'' Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 21: 130–133.〕 The South American ''L. grandis'' and ''L. maximus'' are the only to commonly exceed , with more typical lengths for the remaining species being between .〔 ''Lethocerus'' sp. are distinguished from other genera in the Lethocerinae (''Benacus'' and ''Kirkaldyia'') by two symmetrical furrows in the inner pad of setae on the fore femur, the external borders of parasternites II and III narrowed and nearly straight, and with the setae of the tarsomeres following the line of the tibial setae. ==Habits== Unlike giant water bugs in the subfamily Belostomatinae, females do not lay the eggs on the backs of males. Instead, after copulation (often multiple sessions, ) the eggs are laid on emergent vegetation (rarely on man-made structures) high enough above the waterline that the eggs will not be permanently submerged. The male then guards the eggs from predators and periodically brings water to the eggs to prevent their desiccation. Like other members of the giant water bug family, ''Lethocerus'' species are predators that overpower prey by stabbing it with the rostrum and injecting a venomous saliva. The rostrum can also be used in self-defense, and the sting is very painful to humans, but usually resolves within a few hours at most.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lethocerus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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