Tuesday 18 June
Water boatman (Notonecta glauca)
Water boatman fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Water boatman description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Hemiptera |
| Family | Notonectidae |
| Genus | Notonecta (1) |
The water boatman is a common water bug, which swims on its back and is often seen at the surface of the water (3). It is light brown in colour with a number of dark markings and large reddish eyes (2). The powerful oar-like hind legs are modified for swimming; they are long, flattened and fringed with hairs (3). The forelegs, which are short and strong, are used for grabbing prey (2). The larvae, or 'nymphs', are white or greenish in colour and are fairly similar in appearance to the adults (2). The water boatman often looks silvery as air becomes trapped in a layer of bristles covering the lower surface (4). All true bugs have sucking mouthparts known as a rostrum or a beak; in this species the rostrum is very short and strong (3).
- Also known as
- Backswimmer.
- Size
- Length: 14-17 mm (2)
- Incomplete metamorphosis
- Type of insect development (also known as hemimetabolous development) in which the adult form is reached via a series of moults. The larva (nymph) resembles a miniature wingless adult; the wings develop externally as the nymph grows.
- Larvae
- Stage in an animal's lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
- National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (Jan 2003): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn/
- Olsen, L., Sunesen, J., & Pedersen, B. V. (1999) Small freshwater creatures. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Southwood, T. R. E. & Leston, D. (1959) Land and water bugs of the British Isles. Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London.
- Sterry, P. (1997) Complete British Wildlife photo guide. Harper Collins Publishers, London.
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
More »
Top
Related species
Water boatman biology
The water boatman is a highly effective predator; it tends to stay motionless at the surface until it detects movements in the water, it then swims towards the source of the movement, and hunts by sight when it is close to its prey. This bug has toxic saliva and can inflict a very painful bite. A wide range of aquatic prey is taken, and they can tackle items as large as tadpoles and small fish (3).
Although mating may take place from December to late May, females typically lay their eggs between early February and early May. The eggs are embedded in plant stems. Bugs undergo a type of development known as incomplete metamorphosis in which the larvae undergo a series of moults. The stages between moults are known as 'instars'; there are 5 instars in this species, and it takes 2 months for water boatman larvae to become adults (3).
TopWater boatman range
Widely distributed and common throughout Britain (1).
More »
Species with a similar range
|
You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Water boatman habitat
Found in still and flowing waters with aquatic plants (1), including ponds, lakes and rivers (2).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Water boatman status
Widespread and often common (3).
TopWater boatman threats
Not threatened at present.
TopWater boatman conservation
Conservation action has not been targeted at this species.
|
|
There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Find out more
For more on invertebrates and their conservation see Buglife, the Invertebrate Conservation Trust at:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
References
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
Saturday 15 June
Saturday 15 June
X
Close
Close
Image credit
Water boatman on aquatic vegetation
© Peter Clarke/SAL / gettyimages.com
Getty Images
101 Bayham Street
London
NW1 0AG
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 800 376 7981
sales@gettyimages.com
http://www.gettyimages.com
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.