Giant Water Bug

[Steve Maxson]

This Giant Water Bug nymph (Family Belostomatidae) is lurking among the bladderworts (the black bladders are actually traps for tiny invertebrates) waiting for prey. This is one of the medium-sized species, is presently about 20 mm in length, and will be about 35 mm long when an adult. (Some species get much larger reaching lengths of about 60 mm.) They are predators and use their raptorial front legs to capture and hold prey, and feed via a sharp beak. They prey on just about anything they can capture including other invertebrates, tadpoles, frogs, and small fish. 40D, 100 mm macro, MT-24EX macro twin flash (diffused), 1/250, f/16, ISO 100. RAW file PP in CS5 - curves, vibrance, nr on background. I removed a number of tiny bits of debris from the water and toned down the OOF background plants in the LRC (I'm guessing that some folks would prefer them to be removed completely.) All comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Mitch Haimov]

Another compelling image of a species most of us never see, Steve! OOF plants LR don't bother me. Eyes seem a bit dark--brightening them a bit could bring out detail and help make them hold the viewer's eye.

[OvidiuCavasdan]

Good pose and nice details. It shows well the habitat. I like it. Well done.

[bhavya joshi]

Another Unseen Bug.. and more educational, Thanks for sharing Steve..,and I like back grass to show his habitat..too..:S3:

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Steve,
I've got to get working on these! I'm not the biggest fan of the OOF vegetation in the FG......but rest is handled extremely well!