Giant Toe-Biting Water Bugs Are on the Loose in Cyprus

Abandon all hope, ye who enter the waters off Cyprus. A team of researchers report that the giant water bug L. patruelis has arrived in the country, sparking concerns that the creature has an established presence on the island.

The bug has never been recorded in Cyprus before, though it inhabits nearby continental countries like Greece, Turkey, and Israel. Now, a team of researchers report seven sightings of the insect, primarily on Cyprus’ eastern coast. Research describing the evidence that the bug has settled in Cyprus was published recently in Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa.”

Five of the sightings were documented on social media, and two were directly communicated to the study authors. The first sightings of the bug were recorded by swimmers who were taken aback by the creature’s size and appearance. Though the researchers sampled wetlands in Cyprus, their field research did not turn up any sight of the bugs. However, they were able to recover specimens that were found by individuals who posted the discoveries on social media.

Also known as electric light bugs, some members of the species can be over 4.72 inches (12 centimeters) long. The bugs eat invertebrates, fish, and turtles, and can even take down birds. Their bites aren’t lethal to humans but are extremely painful; however, like many animals, the toe-biters prefer to avoid humans and rarely bite unless provoked or agitated.

In their study, the research team posited that the insects “probably flew” to Cyprus from the mainland, perhaps attracted by lights near the island’s coast. The authors also raised the possibility that the bugs were pushed to Cyprus by the wind or sea currents.

Don’t breathe a sigh of relief if you’re not in Cyprus. Other species of the bug inhabit southern Canada and the United States, several countries in Southeast Asia, Oceana, and some parts of Africa. The genus Lethocerus gets around, and Cyprus is just its latest stop.

More: Huge Deep Sea Bug—Er, Isopod—Discovered in Gulf of Mexico

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