The lesser waterboatman or lesser water boatman (''Corixa punctata'') is a freshwater-dwelling
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
of the order
Hemiptera
Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from ...
.
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
Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
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.
They are similar in appearance to ''
Notonecta glauca'', the
back swimmer, but lesser waterboatmen are herbivores and swim on their fronts.
They are not related to ''Notonecta glauca'' nor to the European ''
Micronecta scholtzi'', also known as the "lesser water boatman".
References
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.
External links
Canterbury Environmental Education Centre, includes images
Corixini
Fauna of the Netherlands
Insects described in 1807
{{Corixidae-stub