‘Weird-looking' bug with ‘bulging eyes' found for first time in 2 states. See it
A small insect, which researchers described as 'weird-looking' and 'bouncy,' was recorded for the first time in Connecticut and Minnesota, expanding the bug's known geographical distribution, researchers said.
Gelastocoris oculatus — also known as the toad bug for its 'bulging eyes' that resemble a toad — was previously recorded in 38 states and three Canadian provinces, according to a May 2 study published in BioOne, a non-profit bioscience research journal.
Toad bugs live on mud and sand along the shorelines of ponds and streams, Arkansas Aquatic Diversity, a conservation organization, said in a September post on Facebook. They can be found year round, but are mostly seen between March and October.
Their tan, gray and brown camouflage patterns protect them from visual predators, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The insects have rough, warty backs like toads too.
To learn of the new locations for the bugs, the entomologist who wrote the study, the late Raul Nascimento Ferreira, looked for bugs in museum collections and his personal collection and used a wild M5 stereomicroscope to identify the species, according to the study.
Not only does the toad bug have features that make it look like a 'tiny toad,' but it also hops around like one, researchers said.
'They are considered to be opportunistic predators and scavengers,' researchers said, adding that they feed on smaller insects.
The bug's family name, Gelastocoridae, means 'laughing' or 'funny bug,' experts said. They believe whoever named the bug was amused by them.
Ferreira died March 7 at his home in Connecticut. He was 85.
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