Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Aquatic Bugs (Nepomorpha) » Nepoidea » Waterscorpions (Nepidae)

Family Nepidae - Waterscorpions

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Works Cited
Water scorpion, Ranatra sp - Ranatra kirkaldyi Nepa apiculata ID help - Ranatra buenoi Ranatra - Ranatra australis Water Scorpion - Ranatra australis water scorpion - Ranatra water scorpion - Ranatra Ranatra nigra
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Infraorder Nepomorpha (Aquatic Bugs)
Superfamily Nepoidea
Family Nepidae (Waterscorpions)
Explanation of Names
Nepidae Latreille 1802
Numbers
2 subfamilies, with 13 spp. in 3 genera in our area(1) and ~270 spp. in 15 genera worldwide(2)
Size
15-46 mm + 16-44 mm breathing tube(1)
Identification
Key to species in (3)
Ranatra resemble walkingsticks
Nepa resemble giant water bugs; e. US
Curicta AZ-TX only
Range
Worldwide, by far more diverse in warmer regions(2); in our area, Ranatra are widespread (and the most commonly found), Nepa apiculata occurs in e. US, and the relatively rare Curicta species, in sw. US(4)
Habitat
fast- or slow-moving water, mostly the latter; they wait submerged on floating plants and other debris for prey(2)
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
2.Biodiversity of the Heteroptera
Henry T.J. 2009. In: Foottit R.G., Adler P.H., eds. Insect biodiversity: Science and society. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell: 223−263.
3.Nepidae (Hemiptera) of the United States and Canada
Sites, R. W., and J. T. Polhemus. 1994. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 87(1):27-42.
4.Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Brooks Cole.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 6 April, 2004 - 4:25pm
Additional contributions by v belov, marcie oconnor, metrioptera, Tyler Hedlund
Last updated 27 October, 2021 - 1:58pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact