Lesser water boatman
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The lesser waterboatman or lesser water boatman (Corixa punctata) is a freshwater-dwelling insect of the order Hemiptera.[1]
Adults normally range in size from 5 to 15 mm long, and are found in ponds, lakes, swimming pools and most bodies of freshwater. The boatman feeds on algae and dead plant material. They are green with long hind legs which they use to swim on top of water. These powerful legs are covered in tiny hairs which helps them float on the surface of the water. They also have wings which enable them to fly and reach suitable environments.
They breathe oxygen by trapping air beneath their wing cases when they are on the surface as the oxygen is trapped by tiny hairs. They use trapped air in their physical gill to convert water-borne sounds into airborne sounds that they can hear.[2]
They are similar in appearance to Notonecta glauca, the back swimmer, but lesser waterboatmen are herbivores and swim on their fronts.[3] They are not related to Notonecta glauca nor to the European Micronecta scholtzi, also known as the "lesser water boatman".
References
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Further reading
- Banks, C.J. (1949). "The absorption of water by the eggs of Corixa punctata Illig. (Hemiptera, Corixidae) under experimental conditions." The Journal of Experimental Biology 26: 131–136.
- Short, J.R.T. (1953). "On the musculature of the legs of Corixa punctata (Illig.) Hemiptera." Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London A 28: 31–35.