Benacus griseus

Benacus griseus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Heteroptera
Family: Belostomatidae
Subfamily: Lethocerinae
Genus: Benacus
Species:
B. griseus
Binomial name
Benacus griseus
(Say, 1832)
Synonyms

Lethocerus griseus Say, 1832

Benacus griseus is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae.[1] It is the only species in the genus Benacus, which was formerly considered a subgenus of Lethocerus.[2][3][4]

Benacus griseus is found throughout eastern North America, from New England, west through southern Ontario and to Nebraska, south to Florida and Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico coast in Mexico, and into Cuba.[5][6]

Ventral photo illustrating dark stripes

Adults reach lengths of 47–64 mm, making them one of the largest aquatic insect species found in eastern North America.[7]

It is distinguished from other Lethocerinae species by the lack of a groove on its front femur.[6][7] It is also characterized by a wide hind tibia and black ventral stripes.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Benacus riseus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  2. ^ Perez-Godwyn, P.J. (2006). "Taxonomic revision of the subfamily Lethocerinae Luach & Menke (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae)". Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A (Biologie). 695: 1–71.
  3. ^ "Benacus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  4. ^ Ribeiro, Jose Ricardo I.; Ohba, Shin-Ya; Pluot-Sigwalt, Dominique; Stefanello, Fabiano; Bu, Wenjun Bu; Meyin-A-Ebong, Solange E.; Guilbert, Eric (2017). "Phylogenetic analysis and revision of subfamily classification of Belostomatidae genera (Insecta: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 182 (2): 319–359. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx041.
  5. ^ Henry, Thomas J.; Froeschner, Richard C., eds. (1988). Catalog of the Heteroptera, or True Bugs, of Canada and the Continental United States. CRC Press. ISBN 9780916846442.
  6. ^ a b c Menke, A.S. (1963). "A review of the genus Lethocerus in North and Central America, including the West Indies (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 56 (3): 261–267. doi:10.1093/aesa/56.3.261.
  7. ^ a b c Epler, John H. (January 10, 2006). "Identification Manual for the Aquatic and Semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida" (PDF). Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved August 14, 2023.


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