Family Mesoveliidae - Water Treaders

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Habitat · Food · Remarks · Works Cited

Male, Mulsant's Water Treader? - Mesovelia mulsanti - male

Mesovelia associated with floating vegetation - Mesovelia mulsanti - female

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 Gerromorpha (Semiaquatic Bugs)

Family Mesoveliidae (Water Treaders)

Other Common Names

Pond Threaders, Pondweed Bugs

Explanation of Names

Mesoveliidae Douglas & Scott 1867

Numbers

4 spp. in a single genus in our area, ~50 spp. in 12 genera worldwide(1)(2)

Size

1.2‒4.2 mm(1), our spp. 1.8‒4 mm(3)

Identification

winged forms with ocelli, wingless forms without ocelli(3)

Small, slender, usually greenish/yellowish. Only anterior basal part of forewing thickened, clavus membraneous, membrane veinless. Antennae slender, 4-segmented. Beak slender, 3-segmented, 3rd segment long. Tarsi 3-segmented, tarsomere 1 minute.(4)

Habitat

on aquatic vegetation or running on water surface; fairly common around ponds(4); almost always present on Lemna mats and on lily pads(3), also in forest leaf litter, damp moss, seeping rock faces(1); 1 sp. occurs in mangroves(2)

Food

small organisms found on water surface(4)

Remarks

fossils known from late Jurassic(5)

Works Cited

1.	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.

2.	Two new records of aquatic Hemiptera (Belostomatidae, Mesoveliidae) from southern Florida, with keys to the genera Belostoma Lat Pintar, M.R. 2023. Aquatic Insects.

3.	Identification manual for the aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida Epler J.H. 2006. FL Dept. Env. Prot., Tallahassee, FL. 186 pp.

4.	A Field Guide to Insects Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson. 1998. Houghton Mifflin Co.

5.	Evolution of the Insects David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel. 2005.

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 9 December, 2004 - 9:07pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, v belov, mpintar
Last updated 9 October, 2023 - 1:10pm

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