Spined Soldier Bug vs Singing Water Boatman

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spined Soldier Bug Singing Water Boatman
Scientific Name Podisus maculiventris Micronecta scholtzi
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Pentatomidae Corixidae
Size 10-13 mm 2 mm
Habitat Gardens Ponds & Lakes
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions Throughout North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spined Soldier Bug

A beneficial predatory stink bug with prominent shoulder spines and a mottled brown body. It feeds on pest caterpillars and beetle larvae in gardens and agricultural fields.

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Did You Know?

It is commercially reared and sold as a biological control agent for managing pest caterpillars in agriculture.

Singing Water Boatman

The loudest animal relative to body size on Earth. This 2 mm aquatic bug produces mating calls reaching 99.2 decibels by rubbing its genitalia against its abdomen.

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Did You Know?

This tiny water bug produces 99 dB of sound by stridulating with its penis — making it the loudest animal relative to body size, and earning it a Guinness World Record.