It’s not Alien 3, but almost. In Cyprus, researchers from the Grigore-Antipa National Museum of Natural History have spotted disgusting creatures, the bite of which is said to be particularly painful. These Lethocerus patruelis, the name of these water bugs known as “toe biters”, had never been observed before 2020 on Aphrodite Island. But in recent years, testimonies from people who have encountered one have abounded in Cyprus.
These little aquatic monsters, terrors of crustaceans, amphibians, turtles and even birds, migrated from Israel, Lebanon and Syria, carried by the sea current or the wind. Because yes, these things fly. Or perhaps they were attracted by hunger, their prey becoming scarcer in the countries where they are most numerous.
Should we be worried about seeing them land in France? Could these giant bedbugs (7 to 12 centimeters, all the same!) come and tease our feet in the Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hérault or the Pyrénées-Orientales?
In a year… or in centuries
Yes, it’s possible, entrust it to 20 minutes Céline Labrune, researcher at the Banyuls-sur-Mer Oceanological Observatory. “They are flying insects, so they have a significant ability to disperse, and could therefore arrive in France,” indicates this scientist. Abderrahman Khila, researcher at the Institute of Functional Genomics in Lyon, who conducts studies on aquatic bugs, confirms. It is not impossible that one day we will come across one of these “Giant water bugs”, the name given to them by English speakers, on our coasts.
“But this can be over very, very long periods of time,” confides this researcher. If this bug flies to us, “will it be in a year, in 200 years… It’s very difficult to say.” Its dispersal capacity must be studied. Can it disperse over large distances by simply flying, or can it happen through human activities, through boats… »
Tourists’ feet will be preserved
However, there is no reason to desert the coast this summer, reassure these two researchers. These marine beasts are not the type to splash around in the Mediterranean. “These are freshwater insects, which will not bite the feet of tourists on Mediterranean beaches! », smiles Céline Labrune. These unsavory bugs are, in fact, more likely to prefer calm waters, particularly ponds.
It can happen, however, that they pass a head by the sea. Swimmers have taken photos of some of them in recent months in Cyprus. The authors of the study from the Grigore-Antipa National Museum of Natural History also indicate that one of them was found when it had landed on the sixth floor, on the balcony of a hotel overlooking the Mediterranean. In the same establishment, another specimen was seen on the lawn, near a swimming pool.
But in salt water, there is no need to worry: there is little chance that these species will survive, assures Abderrahman Khila. “Especially for a species as big as this, it would be very complicated for them,” he confides. Phew! We will therefore be able to frog in Palavas-les-Flots this summer, without fear of being bitten.