Ĭorixidae are unusual among the aquatic Hemiptera in that some species are non-predatory, feeding on aquatic plants and algae instead of insects and other small animals. It is easy to tell the two types of insects apart simply by looking at the swimming position. Unlike their relatives the backswimmers ( Notonectidae), who swim upside down, Corixidae swim right side up. Water boatman active under the ice in March at Glenmore Reservoir, Calgary, Alberta Corixidae dwell in slow rivers and ponds, as well as some household pools. They also have a triangular head with short, triangular mouthparts. Their four hindmost legs have scoop- or oar-shaped tarsi to aid swimming. The forelegs are covered with hairs and shaped like oars, hence the name "water boatman". They tend to have four long rear legs and two short front ones. Many have extremely fine dark brown or black striations marking the wings. Morphology and ecology Ĭorixidae generally have a long flattened body ranging from 2.5 to 15 mm (0.1–0.6 in) long. Corixa punctata is the "lesser water boatman". Members of the Corixidae are commonly known as water boatmen, a term that is sometimes used in the United Kingdom for Notonecta glauca, an insect of a different family, Notonectidae. There are about 500 known species worldwide, in 55 genera, including the genus Sigara. They are found worldwide in virtually any freshwater habitat and a few species live in saline water. Corixidae is a family of aquatic insects in the order Hemiptera.
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