Backswimmers | Spiderman of the Waters
The name is "Backswimmers". These insects live in ponds, lakes and other small water bodies and stick to the water surface on their backs !!
These tiny insects have two specialised legs for moving through the water swimming on their back, which are covered in dense hairs. These hairs form the shape of paddle blade at the very ends of the legs which help them to swim. The hairs also aid in sticking to the surface which are present on their abdomen.
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| *The Hairs on the specialised legs of Backswimmers.* |
The hairs also serve another purpose, they trap air in between them and provide a continuous supply of oxygen for the insect to respirate through spiracles. The air is trapped between the hairs and forms bubble/pocket. These pockets are replenished every time the insects sticks to the water surface with new air and more oxygen.
These backswimmers move along the water surface in search of unsuspecting prey above or below the water. Their diet mostly consists of other smaller insects such as Water striders, grasshoppers, dragon flies etc and baby tadpoles. Their favourite food though is the mosquito larvae. But backswimmers can also prey on other aquatic animals such as shrimps and some adult fishes. The size doesn't matter when it comes to Backswimmers, because they inject digestive enzymes into the prey directly (through the mouthparts called "Rostrum" & "Stylet") and then suck the digested pulp, leaving behind a thin husk like skin (epithelial tissue). This might sound gruesome but is actually the feeding method found in many insects.
These insects when under pressure, emerge out of the water and open up their wings which are folded and curled under a waxy coat and fly to a nearby water body for search of food.
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