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How to Identify Water Boatmen

Water boatmen are aquatic bugs found in fresh water all over the world. There are over 500 known species worldwide, and over 100 in North America. They are commonly found in ponds and lakes, and sometimes in the slow moving waters of estuaries. Making up the family Corixidae, water boatmen are the largest group of aquatic true bugs. They are eaten by fish and feed mostly on vegetation. Water boatmen are sometimes confused with backswimmers, a larger bug of the carnivorous family Notonectidae, which can sometimes bite humans.

Instructions

- 1
  Know where to look. Water boatmen live in bodies of fresh water such as garden ponds, lakes and even birdbaths. They can be seen all year round, usually swimming on or just beneath the surface. They also fly and are attracted to light.
- 2
  Examine the body shape. Water boatmen are a slightly elongated oval shape, around 0.13 to 0.5 inches long. Their large eyes sit on a broad head with a cone-shaped beak. They have three pairs of legs ̵1; the front pair is very short; the middle pair is long and slender; and the rear pair, which it uses for swimming, is long and shaped like oars.
- 3
  Look at the markings. Water boatmen have dull-colored brown wings with a mottled pattern of fine stripes. Unlike the backswimmer, the water boatman swims face down, so its wings are visible from above the water.
- 4
  Watch the behavior. Water boatmen like open water and may swim together in clusters. They swim fast but, when feeding, can cling to vegetation such as algae for long periods of time. Water boatmen breathe air at the water's surface and sometimes carry an air bubble on their bodies to draw in oxygen when swimming underwater.
- 5
  Listen for a chirping sound. Male water boatmen attract mates by rubbing their front legs against their heads, which creates a high-pitched noise.

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