 The
largest of the water insects is the giant water
bug, which can reach a size of close to 3 inches (7.5 cm) in
length and is brown. They are oval in shape, with wide, flat bodies. Before
diving below the surface of the water, the giant water bug captures a bubble
of air which it takes underwater and uses for oxygen. Once the bubble is
used up, the bug needs to rise again to the surface to capture more air.
The giant water bug is a predator, feeding on insect larvae, tadpoles,
and small frogs and fish. They have a strong bite. |
| |
 The
water
scorpion is found in ponds and other still waters. They can
be found hanging in the vegetation near the surface. Like the giant water
bug, they are predators with front legs designed for grasping prey. They
eat insect larvae. Unseen in this picture are their two long filaments
that look like a tail that might sting, but they are actually tubes that
they breathe through, like a snorkel tube. |
| |
 Water
striders are found on the surface of still and slow moving waters.
They glide over the water, using their long spiderlike legs with waxy hairs
on the tip to stay on top of the water surface. They eat aquatic insects. |
| |
 Water
boatmen are the most common of the aquatic bugs. They are identified
by their oarlike hind legs which they use to propel themselves through
the water. They occur in the vegetation and on the bottom of ponds, where
they eat small water organisms, algae, plankton and detritus. They dive
underwater with a film of air covering their body, so they can breathe.
This enables them to stay underwater for a long period of time. They can
also fly. |
| |
A backswimmer looks very much like
a water boatman, but they can be told apart by the fact that they swim
on their backs. They prey on other aquatic insects and can bite. |
