Steinovelia

J. Polhemus & D. Polhemus, 1993

Species Guides

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Steinovelia is a of small water striders in the Veliidae, established by Polhemus & Polhemus in 1993. The genus contains four valid distributed across the Americas from southeastern Canada to northeastern Argentina. These insects inhabit freshwater surface and are part of the gerromorphan radiation of semiaquatic true bugs.

Steinovelia stagnalis by (c) Matthew Pintar, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matthew Pintar. Used under a CC-BY license.Steinovelia stagnalis by (c) Matthew Pintar, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Matthew Pintar. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Steinovelia: //staɪnoʊˈviːliə//

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Identification

Steinovelia are distinguished from other veliid by features of the male genitalia and body proportions detailed in the 2020 revision. The genus can be separated from closely related genera using the provided key in Polhemus & Polhemus (2020), which emphasizes structural characters of the and terminalia. Species-level identification requires examination of male specimens.

Images

Habitat

Freshwater surface ; specific microhabitat preferences for the as a whole are not documented beyond association with lentic or slow-moving water systems.

Distribution

Southeastern Canada to northeastern Argentina, with records from Colombia.

Similar Taxa

  • Other Veliidae generaSteinovelia is distinguished by male genitalic and abdominal structure; other veliid share the small-bodied, surface-dwelling habit but differ in diagnostic structural characters.

More Details

Taxonomic history

The was established in 1993 and revised in 2020, when S. placida was synonymized with S. virgata, reducing the number of valid from five to four.

Sources and further reading