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

Superfamily Notonectoidea

Backswimmer - Notonecta Backswimmer -  Notonecta kyrbyi   - Notonecta kirbyi Water Boatman (?)  - Notonecta irrorata Notonecta kirbyi Buenoa? - Buenoa Maybe Notonecta kirbyi? - Notonecta kirbyi Notonecta irrorata Notonecta petrunkevitchi - male
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 Notonectoidea
Numbers
37 spp. in 5 genera of 2 families in our area(1)(2) and ~620 spp. in 35 genera of 3 families worldwide(3)
Remarks
members of this group swim on their backs(3)
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
2.Identification manual for the aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida
Epler J.H. 2006. FL Dept. Env. Prot., Tallahassee, FL. 186 pp.
3.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.