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🧬 Biological Classification (Kingdom to Species)Kirkaldyia deyrollei

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Belostomatidae

Genus

Kirkaldyia

Species

Kirkaldyia deyrollei

Insecta🥩 Carnivore

Oriental giant water bug

Kirkaldyia deyrollei (Oriental giant water bug · Oriental giant water bug)

🛡️ Conservation Status (IUCN Red List)NE (Not Evaluated)

Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.

Geological Era

Extant

Diet

Carnivore

Length · Height

5~6cm · No data

Mass · Top Speed

No data · No data

Habitat & Fossil Locality

Shallow freshwater wetlands such as ponds, rice paddies, puddles, and irrigation ditches

💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed

💡 Its body length of 50–60 mm is about two-thirds the width of a credit card (85.6 mm) (Comparison).
💡 Heavy pesticide spraying in rice paddies and farmland modification are cited as causes of this insect's decline—a story closely tied to the rice paddies where our rice is grown.

Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.

#물장군#Kirkaldyia deyrollei

📖 1. Overview

The oriental giant water bug is a large aquatic insect in the family Belostomatidae that catches fish and tadpoles with its sickle-shaped forelegs. In Korea, it is a Class II endangered wildlife (Korea).

🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology

Its body is 50–60 mm long, forming a narrow, flattened, elongated oval that is yellowish-brown or brown. Its forelegs are flattened, sickle-shaped raptorial legs, and the 8th abdominal segment bears a pair of breathing tubes.

🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior

It preys on aquatic organisms such as small fish, tadpoles, Chinese muddy loaches, and Beodeul-chi (a Korean animal name). Mating begins in late June, and when the female attaches 60–100 eggs to aquatic plants such as cattails, the male guards them until they hatch about 10 days later.

🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea

Distributed mainly on islands and coasts along the eastern and western seas, inland wetlands, and the Civilian Control Zone, it is a Class II endangered wildlife (Korea). Habitat destruction, water pollution from heavy pesticide use, and farmland improvement projects have reduced its numbers.