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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Water Treaders (Mesoveliidae)

Family Mesoveliidae - Water Treaders

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Habitat · Food · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Water Treader - Mesovelia Water treader - Mesovelia Pond Hempipteran - Mesovelia on the lilypad - Mesovelia Mesoveliide: Mesovelia mulsanti - Mesovelia mulsanti Water Treader - Mesovelia mulsanti Water Treader - Mesovelia mulsanti Mesovellidae
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Family Mesoveliidae (Water Treaders)
Numbers
3 species in 1 genus (Mesovelia) in North America listed at nearctica.com
Size
body length 5 mm or less (1)
Identification
Small, slender, usually greenish or yellowish. Only anterior basal part of forewing thickened, clavus membraneous, membrane veinless. Antennae long, slender, 4-segmented. Beak slender, 3-segmented, 3rd segment long. Ocelli present.Tarsi 3-segmented, 1st segment very small. (1)
Habitat
Found on aquatic vegetation or running on the surface of the water. Fairly common around ponds. (1)
Food
They feed on small aquatic organisms found on surface of the water. (1)
Print References
"Peterson's Field Guide to Insects" p. 124-125. (1)
Internet References
photos of winged and wingless adults (U. of Minnesota)
live adult and nymph image plus other info (U. of Michigan)
pinned adult image of Mesovelia mulsanti (Insects of Cedar Creek, U. of Minnesota)
Works Cited
1.A Field Guide to Insects
By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson
Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 9 December, 2004 - 9:07pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod
Last updated 15 May, 2007 - 8:56am

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