2007-07-14 15:20:20 · 3 answers · asked by kat7899 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Some roaches are commonly called 'water bugs.' These are distantly related to grasshoppers and the preying mantis .
http://whatsthatbug.com/cockroaches.html...
True aquatic water bugs are from the insect order Hemiptera and are highly aggressive hunters eating things like insect larva, tadpoles and even small fish.
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/kids/c-octobe...
Sometimes the large aquatic beetle Hydrous triangularis or Hydrous sp. is known as a 'water bug.' Also known as the Predaceous Diving Beetle. http://www.giffbeaton.com/beetles/dytisc...
2007-07-14 18:17:48 · answer #1 · answered by mindoversplatter 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The big cockroaches that flourish in cities are often called 'waterbugs' (probably because they like sinks and water pipes) but they are not. Real Waterbugs are (surprise!) a kind of true bug that live in the water. They're vigorous, swimming predators, and have kind of a flattened tear-drop shape. They're about the size of a large roach, but very different looking. Roaches aren't true bugs - the most obvious difference being their mouthparts: true bugs have a spike that they use to pierce their prey, whether it is plants for sap or animals for liquid food. Roaches have little mandible-style mouthparts for nibbling on soft foods.
2007-07-14 22:36:16 · answer #2 · answered by John R 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In some areas, particularly the American south including Texas, Louisiana and Florida 'water-bug' is a name that is often given to cockroaches, especially the large American cockroach (Periplaneta americana).
It's probably a reference to the fact that these roaches often like living in moist environments, but it's not very accurate.
In entomology, the term 'bug' actually refers to just a specific, single group of insects - which have sucking and piercing mouthparts. Aphids, cicadas, bed-bugs, assassin bugs, and water striders are all part of this group, but cockroaches definitely are not.
The accepted common name of 'water bug' actually refers to the aquatic predatory Hemipterans, specifically the Belostomatids. These are also sometimes called 'toe-biters', or 'oh my god, what is that thing?'
Strangely enough, I often get giant water bugs (Lethoceras americana) brought in by people who are worried they are cockroaches.
Both of them have leathery wings, and six legs, but other than that, they aren't very similar at all.
2007-07-14 22:33:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋