transporting a waterscorpion

Discussion on other insect orders not covered above and on other invertebrates such as arachnids, centipedes, millipedes, etc,
Post Reply
User avatar
kevinkk
Premium Member - 2024
Premium Member - 2024
Reactions:
Posts: 313
Joined: Mon May 23, 2022 5:06 pm
Location: Oregon
United States of America

transporting a waterscorpion

Post by kevinkk »

On our most recent collecting trip, I captured a waterscorpion, Ranatra quadridentata I believe, as it is fairly large.
I wanted to bring it back alive, and put it in an empty salad deli cup with water and nothing else.
When we got home, it had expired, what did I do wrong? I've seen these animals for sale before, so they
must ship in the post somehow. There was enough air, and it didn't get that hot in the car, even though
we're in the middle of a heat wave.
User avatar
livingplanet3
Premium Member - 2024
Premium Member - 2024
Reactions:
Posts: 584
Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 4:55 pm
United States of America

Re: transporting a waterscorpion

Post by livingplanet3 »

kevinkk wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 4:23 pm On our most recent collecting trip, I captured a waterscorpion, Ranatra quadridentata I believe, as it is fairly large.
I wanted to bring it back alive, and put it in an empty salad deli cup with water and nothing else.
When we got home, it had expired, what did I do wrong? I've seen these animals for sale before, so they
must ship in the post somehow. There was enough air, and it didn't get that hot in the car, even though
we're in the middle of a heat wave.
I believe that aquatic insects are typically shipped packed in slightly damp paper towels or some similar, moisture holding material. If transported in water, they apparently somehow have a tendency to drown. I have no personal experience with such, but there are undoubtedly others who can provide more info, either on this forum or at - https://beetleforum.net/
User avatar
Trehopr1
Global Moderators
Global Moderators
Reactions:
Posts: 982
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:48 am
United States of America

Re: transporting a waterscorpion

Post by Trehopr1 »

Some creatures don't do well under stress. Perhaps, the confinement of the container and the "sloshing" around water was just too much.

As livingplanet3 said it likely drowned as it's air tubes which break the surface tension of relatively still waters could not work as designed.
Chuck
Premium Member - 2024
Premium Member - 2024
Reactions:
Posts: 885
Joined: Mon May 23, 2022 2:30 pm
Solomon Islands

Re: transporting a waterscorpion

Post by Chuck »

They do NOT like sloshing around. I always thought it was the beating that killed them (when I was a kid). They can stay out of water quite some time, after that all they need is food.
User avatar
Eleodes
Junior Member
Junior Member
Reactions:
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 5:45 am
United States of America

Re: transporting a waterscorpion

Post by Eleodes »

Btw, they are super easy to feed once you get them home, they'll eat pretty much anything that resembles an insect, plus small fish, small tadpoles, and snails. But, interestingly, they they typically don't bother conspecifics, at least if fed regularly. They're also super easy to breed.
User avatar
livingplanet3
Premium Member - 2024
Premium Member - 2024
Reactions:
Posts: 584
Joined: Tue May 24, 2022 4:55 pm
United States of America

Re: transporting a waterscorpion

Post by livingplanet3 »

Has anyone here ever encountered waterscorpions of the subfamily Nepinae? There's only one species (Nepa apiculata) found in North America -

https://bugguide.net/node/view/9089

They look much like belostomatids, and are quite different from the slender waterscorpions of the subfamily Ranatrinae (which more resemble stick insects).
Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in