Ambrysus amargosus

Description

Ambrysus amargosus is a rare species of insect in the family Naucoridae, the creeping water bugs. It is known by the common name Ash Meadows naucorid. It is endemic to Ash Meadows in Nye County, Nevada, where it is now restricted to one system of springs. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. This aquatic insect is about 6 millimeters long. It does not fly. It lives in the Point of Rocks Springs at Ash Meadows, where it can be found in a few channels of flowing water measuring no more than 0.3 meters wide by 10 meters long. It was restricted to these trickles when the flowing spring water was channelized and impounded. Ten acres have been designated critical habitat for this insect. Little is known about the insect's life history, but closely related insects feed on insect larvae and lay eggs underwater in the substrate.