Belostoma ellipticum

Latreille, 1833

Belostoma ellipticum is a of giant water bug in the Belostomatidae, first described by Latreille in 1833. Like other members of its , it is an aquatic inhabiting freshwater environments. The species is distributed across the Caribbean, Middle America, and North America. As with other Belostoma species, it likely exhibits the reversed sexual size dimorphism characteristic of the genus, where females are larger than males and males carry on their backs.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Belostoma ellipticum: //bɛ.loʊˈstoʊ.mə ɛˈlɪp.tɪ.kəm//

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Habitat

Freshwater aquatic environments including ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams. As with other Belostoma , it requires permanent or semi-permanent water bodies for and hunting.

Distribution

Caribbean; Middle America; North America. Present in Caribbean and Middle America regions.

Ecological Role

Aquatic occupying the role of top predator in freshwater . As with other giant water bugs, it likely helps regulate of smaller aquatic organisms.

Similar Taxa

  • Lethocerus speciesBoth are large aquatic hemipterans in Belostomatidae, but Lethocerus are generally larger, have different body proportions, and males do not carry on their backs.
  • Other Belostoma speciesCongeneric require examination of specific morphological characters such as body shape, size, and male genitalia for reliable identification.

Sources and further reading