Japanese Giant Water Bug vs Jewel Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Japanese Giant Water Bug Jewel Bug
Scientific Name Lethocerus deyrolli Chrysocoris stollii
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Belostomatidae Pentatomidae
Size 48-65 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Farmland
Diet Predators Sap Feeders
Regions East Asia, Japan India, Southeast Asia
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Japanese Giant Water Bug

Known as 'ta-garame' in Japanese, this is one of Japan's largest aquatic insects. A fearsome ambush predator that can catch small fish and frogs. Has declined dramatically due to habitat loss.

💡

Did You Know?

Males of this species guard the eggs, which the female glues to emergent vegetation above water, by periodically climbing up to moisten them.

Jewel Bug

A dazzling metallic green and red shield bug from South and Southeast Asia. Its brilliant iridescence makes it one of the most beautiful hemipterans.

💡

Did You Know?

Its metallic coloration is structural rather than pigment-based, produced by nanostructures in the cuticle that reflect light.