
AQUATIC INSECTS OF FRESHWATER 

houses for sheets of water. Lamps and electric 
lights also attract them in numbers. They deposit 
the eggs in masses under logs and stones on the 
borders of ponds and ditches. The young are 
predaceous and feed upon small snails and other 
living creatures and differ but little in appearance 
from the adults, except in the absence of wings. 

They reach maturity during the first year. Living 
prey only is acceptable to both the larvaand bugand_ FIG. 201. Giant Water-bug, 
in attacking smaller fishes they seize them with the fore ao se aed eae 
legs, pierce them with the proboscis, which forms a 
sucking tube, and extract the blood but do not eat the animal. Some of 
the species of Zaitha attack the spawn of fishes. Of this genus the 
most common in the Eastern section of the United 
States 1s Z. fluminea, which reaches a length of 1 to 
1% inches. Figs. 201 and 202. The females of all 
three genera deposit the eggs on their backs which 
are often entirely covered by nicely arranged trans- 
verse rows of from 60 to 200 elongate-ovate dark 
grey eggs deposited by means of a protrusile ovi- 
FIG. 202. Giant Water-bug, | positor which can be extended over the back. The 
heim inte Mak Giant Water-bugs and their larve are among the 
most destructive enemies of the young of the goldfish and other freshwater 
fishes, which are often introduced into the hatching troughs as eggs or in 
the larval stage. Some adults reach the tanks in their nuptual flights, 
CreepiInGc Warer-Bucs belong to the Naucoride, a small family of 
flat-bodied oval-shaped bugs, having the anterior legs developed to seize 
their prey and the middle and posterior legs 
for creeping over the bottom of ponds and 
water ways. All the species are predaceous but 

confine their attacks 
more generally to in- 
sects and their larve. 
Pilocoris femarata and 

Ambrysus signoretti, 
FIG, 203. Creeping Water-bug, 
Migwaog,arethe prin= 9, AeoMisenmeiis Brat’ 
cipally distributed Atlantic Coast and Western 
species. They are both of small size, rarely over 
34 inch in length and of a reddish-brown color. 
FIG. 204. Toad-bug, Pelogonus Toap-Bves belong to the family of Galgul- 

ame-icanus. Enlarged. 
ide, and inhabit the muddy margins of ponds, 
255 
