Pafos Press 20 March 2024
A giant bug, the stone horn, also known as the "foot biter", has been identified and studied by scientists in Cyprus. According to Phys.org, Michalis Hatzikonstantis from the Cyprus Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, Iakovos Tziortzis from the Cyprus Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and Kadir Boğaç Kunt from the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute collected information and samples from a increasing number of records of the giant water bug on the east coast of the island in late spring summer 2020 and 2021.
The species, known to inhabit lakes and slow-moving freshwater, has never been recorded on the island before, although established populations are known in neighbouring Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Turkey and Israel.
Also known as the electric bug, this giant water bug is described as a vicious hunter, hunting for invertebrates, fish, turtles and even birds. What's even scarier is that as the largest European true bug and the largest European water insect and measuring up to 12cm in diameter, it has a reputation for causing very painful stings when 'attacked'.
Its appearance, mainly on the eastern seafront of the island, was first recorded by bathers, who were amazed by the terrifying appearance and size of the animal. They either contacted the experts directly or posted photos and videos online, mostly in biodiversity-related Facebook groups.
The authors collected some of the samples for further study. They also conducted an extensive online search of relevant online observation platforms (ie, iNaturalist) to track down any other reports of the species on the island. In addition, they took samples from nearby wetlands, but did not locate the bug.
End to end, a total of seven sightings were finally recorded: five from social media and two after direct communication with the author's team. Two specimens were obtained and morphologically examined for species verification. The observations were recorded in a research article in the journal Travaux du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa”.
Noting that the stone horn is an iconic species that comes with chilling stories about its encounters with humans, the authors surmise that it is unlikely to have gone unnoticed for too long. They consider it possible that several migration events have been triggered in a short period of time from neighbouring countries that host the species, such as Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The specimens could have been transported by wind or sea currents, as other researchers hypothesize, or they could have been caused by the decline of food resources in their original distribution area.
Despite the number of records in a short period of time, no conclusions can be drawn for the establishment of a population of the species on the island. This needs to be explored further, and as an initial record of the species, citizen science can play an important role in this.
The authors urge the public to be vigilant. 'Naturalists looking for extraterrestrials can provide valuable information about the species' presence and potential settlement through citizen science.' Until then, they warn 'Cypriots should keep their eyes open and their toes out of the water."
