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Backswimmer
Notonecta sp.
45.851, -92.5566
Field Notes
Description:
About 1 cm in length. Last pair of legs are elongated and paddle-like. They are called backswimmers for their habit of swimming upside down, as shown in the photo. These are predatory insects and can bite people if handled roughly.
Habitat:
Ponds, lakes and rivers.
Notes:
These fascinating insects are quite common in streams and ponds. The subject of the photo is in a typical 45 degree head-down, belly-up posture of a resting backswimmer. These air-breathing aquatic insects prolong their dives by storing air as a bubble on the underside of their abdomen and under the wings. Since they breathe through their abdomen, that is what is thrust up through the water's surface to obtain air, again as seen in the photo.
Reference Links:
Genus Notonecta - BugGuide.Net
Species ID Suggestions
Spotted for Missions
Photographed
PublishedApril 13, 2012
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