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Water scorpion

Ranatra

Description:

as pictured, approx. 3 inches long, including unusual 'tails'

Habitat:

spotted on driveway and moved to garden

2 Species ID Suggestions

KimChampagne
KimChampagne 12 years ago
Looks like a walking stick
Aaron_G
Aaron_G 12 years ago
Waterscorpion
Genus Ranatra Genus Ranatra - BugGuide.Net


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10 Comments

auntnance123
auntnance123 10 years ago

Chaenorrhium is correct. http://www.dallaszooed.com/animalfacts/a.....
So, in spite of its name this spotting doesn't fit your mission.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/148...

Chaenorrhinum
Chaenorrhinum 10 years ago

Water scorpions are insects, not arachnids. The 'stinger' is actually a breathing tube.

JenniferRoge
JenniferRoge 10 years ago

Please join Scorpions of Florida.
http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/2237...

auntnance123
auntnance123 12 years ago

I thought those were mites; thanks for confirming.

Aaron_G
Aaron_G 12 years ago

Your waterscorpion also has the typical mite load on its legs (the red-colored bumps). See the link for close-up images of mites....

http://bugguide.net/node/view/502346

auntnance123
auntnance123 12 years ago

Because we have so many wading birds and ducks that travel between different bodies of water I was thinking this fellow may have been trapped in feathers and transported. And we have a serious deficit in rain this year.
thank you for the introduction to these interesting creatures.

Chaenorrhinum
Chaenorrhinum 12 years ago

They typically hang out in weedy, stagnant ponds here in Ohio. I don't think they'd attract a bird's attention. Since they breathe air (the 'tails' are held together as a breathing tube) and suck fluids from fish and other bugs, I think they could get away with somewhat salty water. Or maybe it got flushed downstream if you had a recent storm and crawled up out of the water because it *was* brackish.

auntnance123
auntnance123 12 years ago

I thought the same thing, Karen when I saw it crawling across the driveway. But I decided it was a peculiar mantis when I picked it up. Wrong!
Chaenorrhinum has it right--it is a water scorpion! Now the mystery: nearby water is a brackish river. Is it possible the poor thing was dropped by one of the birds that may have flown by from fresh water farther inland?

Chaenorrhinum
Chaenorrhinum 12 years ago

Is there standing water nearby? This looks a lot like a water scorpion.

KarenL
KarenL 12 years ago

Not seen one like this before - at first glance I thought it was a phasmatodea!

auntnance123
Spotted by
auntnance123

Florida, USA

Spotted on Feb 24, 2012
Submitted on Feb 26, 2012

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