Phantom midge larva

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Phantom midge larva
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Damselfly nymph
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Diving beetle
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3 types of snails
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Water boatman and backswimmerslong, oar-like
legs with stiff swimming hairs and their general
shape.
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• Water boatman, common backswimmer Notonecta
  glaucaThis insect swims upside-down, propelled by
  two long legs which paddle like oars, making it
  look like a rowing boat.Statistics?Water boatmen
  grow up to 20mm in length.Physical Description?A
  small brown or green insect with large reddish
  eyes. Its front two pairs of legs are quite short
  but the rear pair are long and fringed with hairs
  at the end. Their overall appearance resembles a
  rowing boat. This insect swims upside-down and
  carries a bubble of air on its ventral side which
  gives it a silvery appearance. The ventral side
  is covered in hairs which prevent water from
  covering the spiracles that the insect uses to
  breathe.Distribution?They are widespread
  throughout Europe.Habitat?They inhabit ponds,
  ditches and canals.Diet?Water boatmen eat
  tadpoles, small fish and aquatic
  insects.Behaviour?Water boatmen rest on the
  surface of the water sensing vibrations. If there
  is something disturbing the water they will
  immediately dive to investigate. When the boatmen
  are within one or two inches of their prey they
  can begin to track it using their eyesight. They
  kill the prey by jabbing it with its rostrum
  (feeding tube) and injecting its toxic
  saliva.Water boatmen are very effective predators
  and can catch and eat tadpoles, small fish and
  even the fearsome larvae of the diving beetle
  (Dytiscus marginalis). They will also eat
  airborne insects that have accidentally fallen
  onto the surface of the water. Adults can fly and
  will move between different ponds.Reproduction?Mat
  ing occurs between December and May and eggs are
  laid between February and May of the following
  year. Eggs are elongate and oval and are laid in
  aquatic plant stems.Notes?The water boatmans
  saliva is toxic and its bite is quite painful. It
  is otherwise harmless.The lesser water boatman
  (Corixa punctata) is not actually closely related
  to the water boatman. It swims on its front and
  feeds on algae.

http//www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/42
8.shtml
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Water boatmen and backswimmers

• http//www.pbase.com/tmurray74/water_bugs

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Fairy shrimp .5 to 1.5 inches. Orange to green
. Swim upside down in water.
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Water scorpion Majority of species are long and
narrow. Abdomens end in a pair of long breathing
tubes. Fierce predators.
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Crayfish
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Backswimmer - water boatman
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Mosquito larvae
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Mayfly larvae (3 distinct tails)
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Horsehair worm Adult horsehair worms are
free-living, but all immature are internal
parasites for part of their lives, many in
leeches, insects or crabs.
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Leech
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Beetle larva
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Dragonfly nymph
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Beetle larva
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Identification Quiz Section
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• http//www.pbase.com/tmurray74/water_bugs

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3 types of snails
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Phantom midge larva
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