Water Boatman
Arctocorixa interrupta ?
Photo of water boatman, Gresham, OR.........August 1994.
Photo
at right of water boatman, Gresham, OR......August 1994.
Water Boatmen are aquatic insects, swimming jerkily below the water
surface. They are similar to Backswimmers, but don't swim on their backs.
Water Boatmen carry air on their body surface and under their wings, which they
trap at the surface. They largely eat algae and other minute vegetable and animal
organisms. Water Boatmen can fly, preferring to do so at
night, when they leap out of the water, then land on the surface feet down. They
then fly away strongly. The young look like adults, and
are called nymphs. They go through as many as 5 molts before attaining adulthood.
They are common across the United States except in the
southeast and Gulf states.
Paul Slichter