Nepomorpha
Guides
Abedus immaculatus
Abedus immaculatus is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It is the only Abedus species found in the eastern United States, with a range extending throughout Florida north into Georgia and west along the Gulf Coast to Mississippi. Adults measure 13–14 mm in length, making them the smallest species in the genus Abedus and the smallest belostomatid in the United States. The species is the sole member of the subgenus Microabedus. It is locally common in parts of the Everglades, where it occurs in shorter hydroperiod sites.
giant-water-bugaquatic-insectfreshwaterwetlandEvergladesendemiceastern-United-Statessmallest-belostomatid-USAmale-parental-careBelostomatidaeHemipteraMicroabedushydroperiodFloridaGeorgiaMississippiGulf-CoastThomas-Say1832Abedus-cantrallisynonymywater-bugtrue-bugNepomorphaHeteropteraInsectaArthropodaAnimaliaAmbrysus arizonus
Ambrysus arizonus is a creeping water bug (family Naucoridae) in the Ambrysus guttatipennis species complex. It is distributed in both the United States and Mexico, with recent records extending its known range into Mexico. As a member of the Cryphocricinae subfamily, it shares the characteristic saucer-like, flattened body form and aquatic lifestyle typical of this group.
Ambrysus circumcinctus
creeping water bug
Ambrysus circumcinctus is a species of creeping water bug in the family Naucoridae, distributed across Central America and North America. As a member of the subfamily Cryphocricinae, it inhabits aquatic environments including running streams. The genus Ambrysus is widespread in the New World, with its greatest diversity in Mexico. Like other naucorids, this species has adaptations for clinging to substrates in flowing water.
Ambrysus pulchellus
Ambrysus pulchellus is a creeping water bug in the family Naucoridae, part of the A. pulchellus species complex characterized by distinctive male phallosoma morphology and medial lobes of abdominal tergum VIII. The species exhibits the widest distribution within the subgenus Ambrysus, spanning parts of both the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic realms. Recent taxonomic revision has synonymized the subspecies A. pulchellus nitidulus and A. pulchellus pallidulus with the nominate form, and documented new country records from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Belostoma minor
giant water bug
Belostoma minor is a species of giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae. It occurs in the northern Caribbean bioregion, with documented records from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and southern Florida. Like other members of its genus, it is an aquatic predator. The species was described by Palisot de Beauvois in 1820.
Cenocorixa wileyi
Cenocorixa wileyi is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae. It was described by Hungerford in 1930. The genus Cenocorixa is endemic to western North America and contains several species adapted to lentic freshwater habitats. This species is part of a genus characterized by distinctive male genitalic structures and specific habitat preferences.
Corisella
water boatmen
Corisella is a genus of water boatmen in the family Corixidae, established by Lundblad in 1928. The genus contains approximately five described species distributed in the Americas. Members are aquatic true bugs inhabiting freshwater environments. One species, Corisella edulis, has been documented as a host for the peritrich ciliate epibiont Orbopercularia lichtensteini in Mexico.
Corisella edulis
water boatman
Corisella edulis is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae. It is found in Central America and North America. The species has been documented as a host for the peritrich ciliate epibiont Orbopercularia lichtensteini in Hidalgo, Mexico.
Corixinae
water boatman
Corixinae is a subfamily of aquatic true bugs comprising at least 130 described species. Members are commonly known as water boatmen and are found in freshwater habitats worldwide. The subfamily includes the genera Corixa and Sigara, among others. Larvae develop through five instars, with distinct morphometric and chaetotaxy characteristics separating developmental stages.
Corixoidea
water boatmen, pygmy water boatmen
Corixoidea is a superfamily of aquatic true bugs (Nepomorpha) containing two families: Corixidae (water boatmen) and Micronectidae (pygmy water boatmen). Members are exclusively aquatic, inhabiting ponds, slow-moving streams, and other freshwater bodies. The superfamily is distinguished by adaptations for underwater life including modified antennae with mechanoreceptive and chemoreceptive sensilla, and diverse feeding strategies ranging from detritivory to predation. Corixidae is the larger family with approximately 500 species worldwide, while Micronectidae contains smaller-bodied species with distinct antennal morphology supporting its family-level recognition.
Gelastocoris
toad bugs
Gelastocoris is a genus of predatory true bugs in the family Gelastocoridae, commonly known as toad bugs. The genus comprises more than 20 described species, including both extant and extinct taxa. Members are characterized by their distinctive toad-like appearance, cryptic coloration, and raptorial forelegs adapted for capturing prey. The family name derives from Greek 'gelastos' (laughable) and 'koris' (bug), referencing their unusual morphology.
Hesperocorixa interrupta
Hesperocorixa interrupta is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1825. It belongs to a genus of aquatic true bugs distributed across North America. Water boatmen in this family are characterized by their oar-like hind legs adapted for swimming and their aquatic lifestyle in freshwater habitats.
Hesperocorixa laevigata
water boatman
Hesperocorixa laevigata is a species of water boatman (family Corixidae) described by Uhler in 1893. It is distributed across Central America and North America. As a member of the Nepomorpha, it is an aquatic true bug adapted to life in freshwater environments. The species is one of approximately 47 observed records on iNaturalist, indicating it is documented but not extensively studied.
Hesperocorixa minor
Hesperocorixa minor is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae. It is a true bug in the order Hemiptera, characterized by aquatic habits typical of the Nepomorpha infraorder. The species was described by Abbott in 1913. Available records indicate a North American distribution, though detailed ecological and biological information remains limited.
Hesperocorixa obliqua
Hesperocorixa obliqua is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae, first described by Hungerford in 1925. It belongs to the genus Hesperocorixa, a group of aquatic true bugs adapted to freshwater environments. The species is recorded from North America, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in published sources.
Limnocoris
Limnocoris is a genus of creeping water bugs in the family Naucoridae, comprising over 70 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropics. The genus was established by Stål in 1860 and represents the type genus of the subfamily Limnocorinae. Recent taxonomic revisions have significantly revised species boundaries, describing numerous new species and resolving synonymies across North America, the tropical Andes, and the Amazon/Guiana Shield regions. Species exhibit wing polymorphism and are distinguished by detailed morphological characters of the genitalia and terminalia.
Martarega mexicana
backswimmer
Martarega mexicana is a species of backswimmer (family Notonectidae) first described by Truxal in 1949. As a member of the genus Martarega, it belongs to a group of aquatic predatory insects known for swimming upside down beneath the water surface. The species has been documented in both Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology remain limited in published literature.
Naucoridae
creeping water bugs, saucer bugs
Naucoridae is a family of aquatic predatory true bugs comprising approximately 400 species in 46 genera across five subfamilies. Members are commonly known as creeping water bugs or saucer bugs due to their dorsoventrally flattened, oval body shape. They inhabit freshwater environments worldwide with greatest diversity in tropical regions, ranging from still waters to torrential streams. Most species are lotic, occurring in flowing waters rather than lentic habitats. They are predatory, feeding on other small invertebrates using piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Nepoidea
Nepoidea is a superfamily of aquatic true bugs comprising two families: Belostomatidae (giant water bugs) and Nepidae (water scorpions). These are the largest-bodied members of the infraorder Nepomorpha and function as top predators in freshwater ecosystems. A distinctive morphological trait is the reduction and concealment of antennae in grooves behind the eyes, an adaptation to submerged aquatic life. The antennal sensilla exhibit remarkable structural diversity, with 11 morphological types identified including mechanosensilla, thermo-hygrosensilla, and olfactory sensilla that facilitate environmental sensing and prey detection.
Nerthra fuscipes
toad bug
Nerthra fuscipes is a species of toad bug in the family Gelastocoridae, characterized by a flattened, toad-like body form adapted for life near water. The species has been documented across a broad geographic range spanning the Caribbean, Central America, North America, and South America. As a member of the Nepomorpha (true water bugs), it represents one of the more widely distributed species within its genus.
Nerthra stygica
Nerthra stygica is a species of toad bug in the family Gelastocoridae, first described by Thomas Say in 1832. It belongs to the infraorder Nepomorpha, a group of aquatic and semi-aquatic true bugs. The species is known from North America, though specific details about its ecology and biology remain limited in published sources.
Ochteridae
Velvety Shore Bugs
Ochteridae is a small family of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) comprising approximately 80–90 described species in eight genera. Commonly known as velvety shore bugs, they are semi-aquatic insects inhabiting the margins of freshwater bodies worldwide, with highest diversity in tropical regions. The family is characterized by a velvety body texture, small size (4.5–9 mm), and distinctive antennal and leg sensilla adapted to riparian habitats. Recent taxonomic revisions have significantly expanded the known species diversity, particularly in Australia, Mesoamerica, and the Andes.
Ochterus americanus
velvety shore bug
Ochterus americanus is a species of velvety shore bug in the family Ochteridae, first described by Uhler in 1876. It is found in North America, with records from the United States including Vermont. Like other members of the Ochteridae, this species is associated with moist shoreline habitats where it inhabits the interface between land and water.
Ochterus banksi
velvety shore bug
Ochterus banksi is a species of velvety shore bug in the family Ochteridae, a group of small predatory true bugs associated with moist shoreline habitats. The species was described by Barber in 1913 and is found in North America. A taxonomic revision of the genus Ochterus synonymized O. flaviclavus under O. banksi, recognizing the former as an intraspecific color morph.
Ochterus perbosci
Ochterus perbosci is a species of velvety shore bug in the family Ochteridae. The species name was originally published as O. perboscii by Guérin-Méneville in 1843, but the spelling O. perbosci became established in prevailing usage and was formally fixed under ICZN Article 33.3.1. The name-bearing type has been designated as a lectotype. Like other members of Ochteridae, it is an aquatic bug associated with riparian habitats.
Palmacorixa gillettei
Palmacorixa gillettei is a species of water boatman (family Corixidae) in the infraorder Nepomorpha. It was described by Abbott in 1912. The genus Palmacorixa is a small group within the Corixidae, and this species appears to be rarely recorded based on limited observation data. Members of this family are aquatic true bugs found in freshwater habitats.
Pelocoris biimpressus shoshone
Pahranagat Naucorid Bug
Pelocoris biimpressus shoshone is a subspecies of creeping water bug in the family Naucoridae, described by La Rivers in 1948. It belongs to the true bug order Hemiptera and is part of the aquatic true bug infraorder Nepomorpha. The subspecies is known from Middle and North America, with records indicating presence in both regions. Very limited observational data exists for this taxon, with only two observations recorded in iNaturalist.
Pleidae
pygmy backswimmers, pleids
Pleidae, the pygmy backswimmers, is a family of minute aquatic true bugs (Hemiptera: Nepomorpha) containing approximately 52 species in four genera. Adults measure only 2–3.5 mm and inhabit stagnant or slow-moving freshwater with abundant vegetation. They are predatory, feeding on mosquito larvae and other small arthropods, and swim upside-down while carrying an air reserve beneath the body. The family is distributed worldwide except polar regions and remote oceanic islands, with genus Plea in the Old World, Neoplea in the Americas, Paraplea globally in warmer regions, and the recently described Heteroplea from Venezuela.
Sigara ornata
ornate water boatman
Sigara ornata is a species of water boatman (family Corixidae) found in North America. Water boatmen are aquatic true bugs that inhabit freshwater environments, where they are known for their oar-like hind legs adapted for swimming. The specific epithet "ornata" suggests distinctive patterning or markings, though detailed morphological descriptions for this species are limited in available sources.
Sigara virginiensis
Sigara virginiensis is a species of water boatman in the family Corixidae, first described by Hungerford in 1948. Water boatmen are aquatic true bugs characterized by their oar-like hind legs adapted for swimming. This species is known from North America, though specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in the available literature.
Synaptonecta issa
Synaptonecta issa is a minute water bug species in the family Micronectidae, first described by Distant in 1910. The species belongs to a genus of tiny aquatic true bugs that inhabit freshwater environments. Limited observational data exists, with only six iNaturalist records documented. The species has a disjunct distribution spanning North America and Southern Asia.
Trichocorixa kanza
water boatman
Trichocorixa kanza is a species of water boatman (family Corixidae) described by Sailer in 1948. It belongs to the genus Trichocorixa, a group of small aquatic true bugs characterized by hair-fringed hind legs adapted for swimming. The species has been documented in both North and Central America. Like other corixids, it inhabits freshwater environments where it swims upside-down near the water surface.