Water stick-insect
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iWater stick-insects | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ranatra chinensis
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
R. chinensis |
The genus Ranatra, the water stick-insects, are generally slender predetory members of the Nepidae family. Their front legs are strong and are used to grasp prey. They breathe through a pair of long breathing pipes extending from their tails. They eat tadpoles, small fish and other insects, which they pierce with their bill and inject a saliva which both sedates and begins to digest their prey. They overwinter as adults, and lay eggs in spring. The female lays eggs in vegetation. The eggs take typically two to four weeks to hatch, and the young take about two months to mature.
 |
This insect-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
