About Benacus griseus (Say, 1832)
Benacus griseus is a species of giant water bug belonging to the family Belostomatidae. It is the only species classified within the genus Benacus; this genus was previously treated as a subgenus of Lethocerus. The distribution of Benacus griseus covers all of eastern North America: it ranges from New England westward through southern Ontario to Nebraska, southward to Florida and Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico coast of Mexico, and extends into Cuba. Adult individuals of this species grow to lengths between 47 and 64 millimeters, which makes it one of the largest aquatic insect species native to eastern North America. Benacus griseus can be told apart from other species in the subfamily Lethocerinae by the absence of a groove on its front femur. Additional defining characteristics of the species include a wide hind tibia and black stripes on its ventral side.
