Peanut-Head Bug vs Water Measurer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Peanut-Head Bug Water Measurer
Scientific Name Fulgora laternaria Hydrometra australis
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Fulgoridae Hydrometridae
Size 80-100 mm with head projection 8-11 mm
Habitat Forests Ponds & Lakes
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Central America, South America Americas, from southern United States to South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Peanut-Head Bug

A large planthopper with a bizarre inflated head capsule resembling a peanut or an alligator. When threatened, it flashes large eyespots on its hindwings.

💡

Did You Know?

Local folklore claims its bite is fatal and must be cured by romantic relations within 24 hours, though it is actually harmless.

Water Measurer

A very slender, elongate semi-aquatic bug that walks slowly on water surfaces in the Americas. Its head is exceptionally long and narrow with a small rostrum at the tip. It moves with slow, deliberate steps along pond margins.

💡

Did You Know?

It is so lightweight that it can walk on the water surface without breaking the surface tension, leaving no visible dimples where its feet contact the water.