A few weeks ago I found a water boatman paddling in the apartment swimming pool. They’re aquatic insects (family Corixidae for anyone who’s counting) with long hind-legs that they use to propel themselves through water like oars on a boat—hence their name. I was resting in the pool when I felt it tugging on my leg.
I haven’t seen these guys in a while, so I sco0ped it up with my hands and scurried back to my apartment. I dumped it into a cup of water and showed it to one of my roommates, and then put the cup aside and planned to show it off to some other friends later that night—Aaron in particular since he’s getting into natural history.
Did I mention that it was a hot day in Davis? When the evening arrived I checked the cup and noticed that it was quite warm, and the water boatman was quite dead. Maybe swimming in the chlorine pool got to him, but I think the warm water had burst my enthusiasm.
Lesson #1 when doing a show and tell with live critters, make sure you keep them alive.
I was in the pool again today and I found three aquatic insects. Okay, the first one wasn’t really aquatic, but it was incidentally aquatic because the bee fell into the pool. The other two were a water boatman and a backswimmer.
Backswimmers (family Notonectidae) are similar to water boatman in that they have long hind-legs they use as oars. Unlike the water boatman, they swim with their backs upside down and they are also larger. They also bite and I’ve been bitten by one, so I only followed it around the pool for a while. There’s no need for me to experience that, again.
A water boatman grabbed my eye shortly after I quit stalking the backswimmer. I scooped it into my hand again but this time, into a much larger container. It’s greater volume-to-surface area ratio, so the water won’t warm up quickly this time around:
Water boatman, top view (Corixidae)
Water boatman (Corixidae)
The first image is a top view (backside) of the water boatman, taken with a Pentax DA 16-45mm lens as is, it can focus fairly close (no true macro, heavily cropped). The second image was taken using a 50mm lens at the end of a 55mm extension tube to get around 1:1 (little cropping). Contrast is really bad since I’m shooting through the plastic jug I’m keeping him in. You can really see its hind-legs and compound eyes.
And yes, that is a wine cork I placed in there as a substrate.
I’m going to see if I can call Aaron over here to check it out, but either way I’m going to let him go.
Next weekend, I’m hoping to find a giant water bug in the pool (family Belostomatidae).
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