English pute
Scientific name: Lethocerus americanus (Leidy, 1847)
Overview
Lethocerus americanus, sometimes called the electric light bug, toe biter or fish killer, is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae, native to southern Canada and the United States. It typically has a length around 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in). It was originally classified as a species in the genus Belostoma.
From the Wikipedia article “Lethocerus americanus”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: North America.
Common names
Also known in English as giant water bug.
Names in other languages (3)
- Arabic
- بقة الماء الضخمة
- French
- léthocère
- Japanese
- アメリカタガメ
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — names in other languages. Q3236905, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Lethocerus americanus”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — The High Fin Sperm Whale, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026