TRUE BUGS

Water Boatman, Corixa spp.

Order: Hemiptera (True bugs)

Size: Up to 1⁄2"

Habitat: Ponds, streams

Range: Throughout North America

Water boatmen are aquatic members of the true bug group that can be found in almost any body of stagnant fresh or brackish water, including swimming pools, birdbaths, and puddles. The body is elongate and oval with a flattened, streamlined shape, and the small antennae fold neatly into grooves on the head. The front legs are reduced, while the rear legs are enlarged, with feathery outer sections that serve as paddles for forward propulsion. The color is pale to dark gray-brown with many thin, black transverse striations. Water boatmen dart through the water near the bottom or cling to aquatic plants. They feed on algae or bits of detritus, using their small front legs as a scoop. They are capable of making high-pitched chirps by rubbing their forelegs against their head. Unlike another group of aquatic bugs, the backswimmers, water boatmen do not bite people.