#aquatic bug

A genus of aquatic predatory bugs in the family Micronectidae, who used to be a subfamily of the Corixidae.

The genus' main claim to fame is the stridulatory courtship song of Micronecta scholtzi . Which they sing with their penis. The relevant part is narrower than a human hair. The song still reachs almost 100 decibels.

Scientists are still baffled that they can make such incredible noise with such a tiny organ, which just goes to show that scientists can be very cruel.

Ferocious Water Bug - Abedus sp.

I was so happy to visit the Toronto Zoo last weekend. It had been a long time since my last visit and it was wonderful to spend the day with some of my dearest friends! In addition to all the delightful outdoor mammalian and avian exhibits, there are plenty of indoor terrarium-based habitats to enjoy full of exotic and/or strange reptiles, amphibians, and insects (obviously) to discover. There are five species in total that I'll be covering over the next few weeks, beginning with a new branch of the Hemipteran order for the blog: Giant Water Bugs (Belostomatidae)! This exhibit mainly showcases the adults, but there are a few nymphs hiding around. As their common name suggests, these large insects make aquatic (freshwater) environments their primary habitat and are well adapted to it despite ultimately being creatures of the land. They all have a flattened, oval-shaped hydrodynamic body, flattened legs that can can tuck in and row, large eyes to visualize a wide view of their aquatic environment, and enlarged raptorial forelegs to seize prey that swims by. Stay clear of those claws, as anything caught in them gets painfully jabbed by the curved rostrum! Such a puncture has earned them the nicknames: "Toe-Biter", "Fish Killer" and "Alligator Flea". Furthermore, like their distant Nepomorpha cousin - the Backswimmer - Giant Water Bugs breathe air, and thusly need to bring it underwater with them since they lack a full set of gills.

To facilitate underwater respiration, these Bugs have adapted a rear abdominal respiratory siphon that they stick out of the water to obtain air while submerged. Yes, a butt-snorkel is the tool for the job! This is why many of the individuals here appear to be tilted as they sit in the water's flora. With larger specimens, it could be mistaken for a stinger, while different species use different types of snorkels to obtain air. From my research, Abedus Water Bugs use two reduced rear-tubes to obtain air and then store it underneath their forewings; they can store quite many a bubble due to their reduced wings beneath, effectively trading their ability to fly for an efficient scuba system. With efficient energy expenditure, they can remain underwater for minutes to hours, and thus have more time for hunting and other activities. Speaking of the latter, you may have noticed a few individuals covered in nodules here. These are male specimens. Females attach their eggs to the backs of males, and the latter will protect them...until they hatch. After they hatch, Abedus nymphs become fair game to hunt, and the nymphs share that behavior, with nymphs further along in development hunting and snatching smaller instars! With the number of eggs here, it looks like the zoo may have a feeding frenzy on its hands! When they aren't eating each other, Giant Water Bugs will eat anything they can grasp (even animals much larger than themselves, similar to Jagged Ambush Bugs) including struggling land insects, snails, tadpoles and fish.

Backswimmer - Notonecta irrorata

Generally when we all think of insects, we think of those that crawl on land or fly through the air, but there are insects that call water their home. There are also several insects that begin their lives in the water and then move to the land (or the air) in their adult stage, but today gives us something different. From the cottage country of Caledon, we find an insect specie that spends a majority of its time below the water, only surfacing when it needs to collect air bubbles. It must have been pulled into the pool's filtration system and was spit out into the pool where I found it. A pool is no place for an insect, so afterwards I placed our new friend in a nearby pond. A True Bug by classification, we enter an infraorder called Nepomorpha (Aquatic Bugs) wherein there are all adapted for a life in the water (including Giant Water Bugs, Toad Bugs and Waterscorpions, but not Pond Skaters). They have hydrodynamic bodies and legs made to either grasp or to swim (or both). They all have their ways to navigate water, but the Backswimmer here is the strangest of all, given that it swims upside down! Backswimmers are often confused for their relatives: the Water Boatmen. These are a separate family (Corixidae) vs. the Backswimmer family - Notonectidae! To distinguish between the two (in broad strokes), Boatman tend to have flatter bodies and swim upright, while Backswimmers swim underside down.

By turning upside down, its vivid colors are hidden from eyes above and it can grasp creatures at the water's surface before they knew what hit them. To propel themselves they use their hindlegs like a pair of oars, but instead of rowing they press them inwards and then open them when they can by fully extended. The legs are just as powerful on land as when held in my hand, this individual tried to jump away! It's a surprisingly powerful jumper on land all things considered, but since it can't anchor its feet the way an Orthopteran does, there's only so far it can launch itself. Back in the water it jumps, and back in my hand it goes. With such power in those legs, it's no wonder that Backswimmers are effective hunters! If not for their rounded, adorable appearance, they might even gain the reputation of Assassin Bugs! They'll grasp prey and jab them with their rostrum to food. With regards to the latter, a word of caution to you, dear reader. Backswimmers have gained the nickname "Water Bees" as it seems that can inflict a painful bite using their rostrum if mishandled (see Picture 2 for how it looks). An insect like this can remain underwater for hours, so suddenly bringing it to land may give it the wrong idea, especially if done roughly. While I suffered no bites, always take care if handling a live specimen (preferably bring a container with you to observe them).

3/25/15

Nepomorpha (Aquatic Bugs) - Notonectidae (Backswimmers) 14mm

May bite if handled carelessly

Other Common Names Water Bees, Water Wasps.

Aquatic bugs that often swim upside-down. When resting at the surface, body is typically tilted with the head downward. Characteristics(4)(5): hind legs modified for swimming, with long hairs front legs not scoop-like (unlike in Corixidae) dorsum convex, V-shaped when viewed from tip of abdomen wings clear, tips without veins eyes relatively close together--typically separated by less than the width of one eye

Habitat- Ponds, freshwater pools, slow flowing streams.