 About the Waterboatman |
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Order Hemiptera, Family Corixidae There are over one hundred species of Waterboatmen. They are the only water bug family that does not bite or sting. It is also called a water bug or paddle bug, and sometimes a water beetle. However, the Waterboatman is not a beetle - that is a different order of insects (Coleoptera). What do Waterboatmen look
like? Waterboatmen have "paddles" - two of their six legs are used for swimming or paddling. They are long legs, as long as the body, and have hairs at the end that make them look like canoe paddles. While the Waterboatman is swimming, its other four legs hold a "breathing bubble" of air close to the body, so the paddles are the only legs that are visible. Most Waterboatmen get up to about a half to one centimetre in length by the fall, but they are much smaller earlier in the year. They are very dark brown on the back, and white or pale yellow or green on the bottom. Although Waterboatmen are obviously quite good at swimming, and spend most of their time on the bottom, they are only semi-aquatic. Adults also fly, usually during mating season in the fall. Don't confuse the Waterboatmen with Backswimmers (family Notonectidae). They look similar, but backswimmers are larger and, if you look closely, you will see that backswimmers are swimming on their backs. Also, they have a very strong sting! Where do Waterboatmen live? Boatmen are very adaptable, and live in all kinds of conditions in rivers, streams and lakes. They are most often found in shallow, weedy areas where they can swim to the bottom easily. What is the life cycle of the Waterboatman? Waterboatmen are born from eggs on the bottoms of lakes and rivers. Click here to see the life cycle of a waterboatman. Baby Waterboatmen look just like the adults, they are just smaller. After hatching, the nymph immediately swims to the surface and collects its first bubble of air. Boatmen do not have gills, so they must always carry air with them underwater, like a human diver. The bubble will supply them with air for a surprisingly long time, because it absorbs some oxygen from the surrounding water. The nymph will travel to the surface many times for more air as it gradually matures into an adult over the course of the summer. Eventually, it travels to the surface and takes flight, instead of diving back down to the bottom. The new adult will mate, and then dive again to lay another generation of eggs. Waterboatmen eat both vegetation and other insects. |
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| Food for
thought… Fish far prefer eating Waterboatmen to other members of the
Corixidae family of insects. Why would this be? |
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