Russian Wheat Aphid vs North American Water Scorpion

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Russian Wheat Aphid North American Water Scorpion
Scientific Name Diuraphis noxia Ranatra fusca
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Aphididae Nepidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 28-40 mm including siphon
Habitat Farmland Wetlands
Diet Sap Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide cereal-growing regions North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Russian Wheat Aphid

A pale elongated aphid that causes leaf rolling and white streaking on wheat and barley. It injects toxins while feeding that are uniquely damaging to cereal crops.

💡

Did You Know?

It caused over $1 billion in damage to U.S. wheat crops within just a few years of its arrival in 1986.

North American Water Scorpion

A stick-like aquatic predator found in ponds and marshes across eastern North America. It walks slowly on submerged vegetation to ambush prey.

💡

Did You Know?

Despite being fully winged, it rarely flies and prefers to walk along the bottom of shallow ponds.