Mesovelia

Mulsant & Rey, 1852

water treaders

Species Guides

Mesovelia amoena(water treader)
Mesovelia cryptophila
Mesovelia mulsanti(Mulsant's water treader)
Mesovelia polhemusi

Mesovelia is a of water treaders (Hemiptera: Mesoveliidae) comprising more than 30 described . These insects are semiaquatic, inhabiting the surface film of freshwater . Studies of North American species have documented specific and embryonic development. The genus has a broad geographic distribution including North America, South America, and Asia.

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

Mesovelia amoena by (c) Justin Williams, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Justin Williams. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Mesovelia: //ˌmɛsəˈviːliə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Freshwater aquatic environments; associated with the surface film of water bodies. are laid in stems of aquatic plants with the exposed flat end visible in situ.

Distribution

North America (including Michigan, Kansas, Illinois); South America (Colombia); Asia (India including Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, and the Andaman Islands); Europe (Denmark, Norway).

Life Cycle

are elongate-oval with a curved neck terminating in a flat surface, averaging 0.877 mm in length. Eggs are white when laid, becoming watery transparent within days as the embryo develops. Deep red spots and segmentation appear two days before hatching. Laboratory observations indicate a 12-day . The embryo does not completely fill the egg until shortly before hatching, appearing white against the transparent eggshell.