MBP - Big-eyed Toad Bug

The well-named Big-eyed Toad Bug (Gelastocoris oculatus) is found throughout much of the U.S. and Canada on the muddy or sandy edges of ponds and streams. Here in the Mid-Atlantic, it is the only member of its family (Gelastocoridae). It is amphibious, capable of swift underwater motion and leaping many times its body length when on land. Its bulging eyes, bumpy pronotum and elytra, and specific habitat make for a pretty easy ID.

📸: (c) Benjamin Burgunder, some rights reserved (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) - Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/11/2024).

More at Maryland Biodiversity Project:
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/11104

Bill

Posted on May 27, 2024 02:12 PM by billhubick