Read about related Hemiptera by using the "Forward" and "Backward" device icons. Many Hemiptera suck plant juices although some have evolved to suck blood and body fluids. Hemiptera groups include water scorpions, water boatman, backswimmers, water striders, plant bugs, bed bugs, assassin bugs, flat bugs, seed bugs, red bugs and stink bugs.

Giant Water Bug Genus species Hemiptera Belostomatidae These large and powerful insects are as adept at swimming as they are at flying. Eaten as a delicacy and sometimes found in Chinese markets, these insects bear the nickname toe-biters and are capable of inflicting a painful stab with their sharpened front beak. These bugs feed on other aquatic insects, tadpoles and even small fish, injecting them with a powerful toxin and digestive juice that allows the bug to such up the contents at will. They are also known for their snorkel-like breathing tubes at the end of their abdomen. View the Index of Orders View Complete Photo List Ants, Bees & Wasps Butterflies & Moths Flies Beetles Lacewings & Antlions Leafhoppers & Cicadas True Bugs Cockroaches Praying Mantids Grasshoppers, Crickets Walking Sticks Dragonflies & Damselflies Mayflies Non-Insects