Arctic Water Bug vs Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Water Bug Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter
Scientific Name Arctocorisa carinata Homalodisca liturata
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Corixidae Cicadellidae
Size 5-8 mm 11-13 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Indoors
Diet Detritivores Sap Feeders
Regions Arctic Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia, Arctic Canada North America, Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Water Bug

A small aquatic bug with a flattened body and oar-like hind legs for swimming. The back has fine transverse lines. It inhabits cold tundra ponds and lakes, swimming actively even in near-freezing water.

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Did You Know?

Males produce sound by rubbing their front legs against their head to attract females, making them among the loudest animals relative to body size.

Smoke-Tree Sharpshooter

A large leafhopper native to the southwestern US and Mexico closely related to the glassy-winged sharpshooter. It is a vector of xylem-dwelling plant pathogens.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most leafhoppers, it feeds on xylem sap which is so nutrient-poor it must process enormous volumes daily.