''Phoreticovelia disparata'', also called the Zeus bug, is a species of semi-aquatic bug from the family

Veliidae Veliidae is a family (biology), family of gregarious predatory insects in the suborder Heteroptera. They are commonly known as riffle bugs, small water striders, or broad-shouldered water striders because the segment immediately behind the head ...

(tribe Microveliini) with a unique form of

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

. It is endemic to Australia (

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

).Polhemus, D. A. & Polhemus, J. T. (2000)
Additional new genera and species of Microveliinae (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from New Guinea and adjacent regions.
nbsp;— Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 143, 91-123 (2000).

Biology

''Phoreticovelia disparata'' live near tropical rivers. They are 1–2 mm in length. It is the only known species (aside from its sister species '' Phoreticovelia rotunda'') where the female feeds the male a

nuptial gift Formally, a nuptial gift is a material presentation to a recipient by a donor during or in relation to sexual intercourse that is not simply gametes in order to improve the reproductive fitness of the donor. Often, such a gift will improve the fit ...

. They are

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

; the female mating form has a special glandular area on the dorsal surface of the body. The half-sized male (about 1 mm long) clings to her, feeding on the secretions of a pair of glands, sitting on his partner for several days. Both adult males and females have wings, but females are wingless at the mating stage, as they are still at the 4th or 5th larval stage (nymphs). In adult winged females, which are about 2 mm in length, the specialised feeding glands are lost.

Name

The common name (Zeus bug) originates from the myth which in the ancient Greek god

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

swallowed his first wife,

Metis Metis or Métis, meaning "mixed" in French, may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peopl ...

.Gran Arnqvist, Thersa M. Jones and Mark A. Elgar. (2007). The extraordinary mating system of Zeus bugs (Heteroptera :Veliidae: Phoreticovelia sp.). Australian Journal of Zoology, 2007, 55, 131—137.Therésa M. Jones & Göran Arnqvist & Kathryn B. McNamara & Mark A.Elgar. (2012). Size-assortative pairing across three developmental stages in the Zeus bug, Phoreticovelia disparata. — Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol.(2012). 66:995-1003. DOI10.1007/s00265-012-1347-y

References

Insects described in 2000 Insects of Australia Veliidae {{Gerromorpha-stub