Are scorpions able to swim. Water scorpion (lat

This rather awkward insect met me in the evening on the beach and immediately attracted my attention, because in addition to the fact that any creatures in principle attracted my attention, it looked somehow strange: it moved around in four legs, carrying two hypertrophic claws in front of them, in which the murder weapon was unmistakably guessed, immediately evoking associations with a praying mantis. In addition, his entire abdomen was covered with large red capsules, obviously someone else's eggs.

  The monster moved equally well both on land and on the bottom, and, crawling along the shallow water, it exposed to the surface a tail in which he clearly had a breathing tube.

Being laid on its back, the insect easily turned into a normal position, actively working with muscular forelimbs. However, when he put his back on his finger, so that the claws had nothing to cling to, they became completely helpless, violently pounding the air and being unable to somehow change the situation.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea) - completely helpless

In general, an interesting creature. Thanks to the uncle's knowledge and the shots taken, the insect was quickly identified.

It turned out water bug, also known as the sonorous name:

Water scorpions are representatives of the family of water bugs, which has 14 genera, 2 subfamilies, and about 230 species. They mainly live in the tropics; in our latitudes, the genera Nepa and Ranatra are found.

Place in the scientific classification (Wikipedia):

• type of: arthropods
• class: insects
• detachment: half-winged  (Hemiptera)
• family: water scorpions  (Nepidae)
• subfamily: Nepinae
• gender: Nepa

The appearance of a water scorpion

The body is flat, elongated, 1.5-4.5 cm long (our hero was about 3.5-4).

The head is small, clearly divided with the body, with faceted eyes and a proboscis, which gives our hero some birdlike features.

The main distinguishing feature of the water scorpion is the front legs, transformed to capture the victim: the tibia is opposed to the large flat thigh and is able to fold relative to it, like a false claw. The other two pairs of legs are used for movement.

The second interesting feature is the breathing tube, which consists of two parts. Some representatives (approx. Ed. by context it is not clear, species or genus) reaches the length of the body and even exceeds it.

A water scorpion has wings and is able to fly in anticipation of the drying up of a reservoir or in search of more convenient places for wintering. Some species under the wings are brightly colored, which makes them clearly visible in the air. Under ordinary conditions, when the wings are folded, the water scorpion acquires a discreet patronizing color.

Friends!  This is not just advertising, but mine, personal request. Please join zooBota group in VK  . This is pleasant to me and useful to you: there will be many that will not get to the site in the form of articles.

Water Scorpion Lifestyle

Water scorpions settle in calm ponds with stagnant water or in thickets along river banks. Most of the time they spend in ambush, waiting for the victim. To do this, a water scorpion is located on some plant at a shallow depth, exposes the breathing tube to the surface and freezes. Having caught prey, it sucks it out with a proboscis. Eats almost everything, which can handle, including even small swimming beetles.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea) - you can see how an air duct sticks out of the water

Water scorpions mate in autumn or spring, and in early summer, the female lays eggs in the pulp or on the surface of aquatic plants (note in different sources in different ways). The egg is elongated and has in its upper part a bundle of seven filiform appendages-spiracles.

Larvae hatch from eggs  (nymphs), for the most part, very similar to adults, only smaller. They have no wings, and the duct is a single tube.

Larval stage  lasts about three months.

Adult water scorpions  hatched by the end of autumn and winter already in adulthood.

Water scorpion larva (nymph): photo

I bring to your attention a photo of a water scorpion nymph. The size is small, about 1 cm, very frisky, and therefore a full-fledged photo shoot did not work: the larva crawled into the gap of the bridge.

External visible differences between a nymph and an adult:

• size (it is not visible, it will have to take my word for it)
• color (noticeably lighter)
• body shape
• lack of wings
• instead of a breathing tube of two halves - a solid thick tube
• oral apparatus (see the following photo)

Water scorpion nymph, the oral apparatus is clearly visible

But the photo accidentally hit an interesting event. Already when viewing the shots I found that I accidentally captured the moment when the larva claw captured some insect.

And on the next frame, she already sucks the victim “without the help of hands”, only with her elephant proboscis.

Question

From the foregoing, an interesting question arises regarding the specific hero of our story: what were these red capsules that stuck around an adult water scorpion?

The most likely version is the larvae of some water mites of the family Hydrachnidae.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea L.) belongs to the family of water scorpions (Nepidae), a group of bugs (Hemiptera). He is the most original bug. Its shape is unusual: it resembles a rotten leaf and looks very similar to a scorpion (hence the name).

Water scorpion. Photo: Nepa cinerea

Water scorpion prefers reservoirs with slow flowing or standing water, densely overgrown with aquatic vegetation, on which it mainly rests. In the coastal zone of current reservoirs - streams and rivers, mainly its larvae are found. They struggle with the flow with the help of tenacious paws with which water scorpions cling to aquatic plants.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea). 1 - adult 2. Head, prothorax, as well as the 1st pair of legs. 3. Nepa cinerea: respiratory tube from the abdominal side (right); tip of the larval breathing tube; cross section through the respiratory tube of the imago and larva (above). 4. Mating of Nepa cinerea. 5. Larvae of Nepa cinerea of \u200b\u200bthe 1st and 5th stages. 6. Abdomen of Nepa cinerea larva from below.

Nepa cinerea is a slow animal that moves through plants, clinging to them with small claws. He swims reluctantly and badly. Among the remaining water bugs, he is the weakest swimmer. Basically, Nepa cinerea sits motionless on aquatic plants and watches over its prey. It should be noted that the water scorpion has developed wings.

In shape and color, the water scorpion is very reminiscent of a leaf that has died and fallen into the water (the phenomenon of mimicry), which allows it to go unnoticed by both potential enemies and prey. Having noticed the victim, the bug quickly ejects the front pair of limbs and grabs its prey. Having squeezed his prey, as if in a vice, a scorpion sucks it out with the help of a sharp meek jointed proboscis.

Larva of Nepa cinerea. Photo: Nepa cinerea

The proboscis of the bug is strong and sharp enough, so it can easily pierce human skin, which means that the injection can be quite painful. Nepa cinerea breathes atmospheric air, with the help of a long appendix, similar to a tube and located in the back of the body. Scorpio exposes the end of this tube from the water and collects air, which is then held in the spiracles of the abdomen. Water scorpions breed with eggs, which (in early summer) the female lays on aquatic plants. The larvae that emerge from the eggs are very similar to adults, with the only difference being that they still do not have a long breathing tube.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea L.) belongs to the order of bugs (Hemiptera), to the family of water scorpions (Nepidae). This is one of the most original bugs. The unusual shape of the animal, similar to a rotten leaf, its external resemblance to a scorpion (hence the name) involuntarily attract attention.

Water scorpion prefers ponds with stagnant or slowly flowing water, densely overgrown with aquatic plants, on which this bug mainly holds. In other cases, scorpions, especially their young larvae, can be found in the coastal zone of rapidly flowing water bodies, for example, in streams and rivers. Clutching legs help them fight with the help of which the bugs hold on to aquatic plants.

Water Scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea). 1 - adult specimen 2. Head, prothorax and first pair of legs of a water scorpion. 3. Water scorpion; adult breathing tube on the abdominal side (right); tip of the larval breathing tube; cross section through the respiratory tube of the imago and larva (above). 4. Mating water scorpion. 5. Larvae of the water scorpion of the 1st and 5th stages. 6. Abdomen of water scorpion larva from below.

The water scorpion moves very slowly, clinging to the plants with the claws of its limbs. Swims badly and reluctantly; among our other water bugs, this is the weakest swimmer. Most often, a scorpion sits motionless on aquatic plants, crouching its prey. It should be noted that he also has developed wings.

The protective coloring of the water scorpion is very remarkable, which in color and shape is strikingly reminiscent of a dead leaf falling into the water (the phenomenon of mimicry). This similarity, with his sedentary lifestyle, makes him less noticeable both for enemies, and, in particular, for his prey.

Noticing his prey, the scorpion throws out the front pair of legs with lightning movement and grabs the prey. In this regard, the forelimbs have a very peculiar shape, resembling a pair of giant jaws rather than legs. The saber-shaped curved tibia can be pressed against the strong, extended hips, and the tibia enters the longitudinal groove of the thigh like a blade of a penknife fits into the slot of the handle. At the base of the thigh there is a hook for which the foot clings when the lower leg is folded.
   The prey squeezed in such a terrible vice is sucked out with the help of a short sharp jointed proboscis. Note that the proboscis of a water scorpion is sharp and strong enough to pierce human skin; therefore, the insect, in case of careless contact, can inflict quite painful injections.

The scorpion breathes atmospheric air. In this case, the long process, which is present in adult specimens on the posterior end of the body, plays a role. This is nothing more than a tube made up of two grooves facing each other. Having exposed the outer end of the breathing tube from the water, the scorpion draws with its help air into a closed space under the wings, from where air is passed into the spiracles of the abdomen. In larvae, a long respiratory siphon is absent. There is only a short process that acts in a similar way (Fig. 6).

Reproduction occurs with the help of eggs, which the female lays at the beginning of summer on various aquatic plants. Scorpion eggs are quite large and have a very peculiar shape: on one of the 4 poles of the oblong-oval egg sits a corolla of seven filiform appendages (six or eight appendages are less common).

When the female introduces eggs into the tissue of aquatic plants, these appendages remain outside, deploying in the form of a rosette. The importance of the appendages is probably that with their help, a supply of air is carried inside the egg. The larvae emerging from the eggs are very similar in appearance to an adult insect, but are deprived, as indicated above, of a long breathing tube and acquire it only after the last molt.

Water Scorpion Larva

We continue the conversation about water bugs. This time it will be a question not of "overseas" guests, but of our "compatriots", habitual inhabitants of our reservoirs. They are inferior to "foreign" relatives in size, but they are not so bloodthirsty and ruthless. Our today's hero is
   Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea L.) Please love and favor.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea L.) belongs to the order of bugs (Hemiptera), to the family of water scorpions (Nepidae). This is one of the most original bugs. The unusual shape of the animal, similar to a rotten leaf, its external resemblance to a scorpion (hence the name) involuntarily attract attention.

Water scorpions are representatives of the family of water bugs, which has 14 genera, 2 subfamilies, and about 230 species. They mainly live in the tropics; in our latitudes, the genera Nepa and Ranatra are found.

Place in the scientific classification (Wikipedia):
   ■ type: arthropod
   ■ grade: insects
■ Squad: Semi-winged (Hemiptera)
   ■ family: water scorpions (Nepidae)
   ■ Subfamily: Nepinae
   ■ gender: Nepa

The appearance of a water scorpion

Water Scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea). 1 - adult specimen 2. Head, prothorax and first pair of legs of a water scorpion. 3. Water scorpion; adult breathing tube on the abdominal side (right); tip of the larval breathing tube; cross section through the respiratory tube of the imago and larva (above). 4. Mating water scorpion. 5. Larvae of the water scorpion of the 1st and 5th stages. 6. Abdomen of water scorpion larva from below.

The body is flat, elongated, 1.5-4.5 cm long

The head is small, clearly divided with the body, with faceted eyes and a proboscis, which gives our hero some birdlike features.

Water Scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

The main distinguishing feature of the water scorpion is the front legs, transformed to capture the victim: the tibia is opposed to the large flat thigh and is able to fold relative to it, like a false claw. The other two pairs of legs are used for movement.

Water Scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

The second interesting feature is the breathing tube, which consists of two parts. In some representatives (editor's note. It is not clear in context, species or genus) reaches the body length and even exceeds it.

Water Scorpion (Nepa cinerea)

Water scorpions settle in calm ponds with stagnant water or in thickets along river banks.
  Most of the time they spend in ambush, waiting for the victim. To do this, a water scorpion is located on some plant at a shallow depth, exposes the breathing tube to the surface and freezes. Having caught prey, it sucks it out with a proboscis. It eats almost everything it can handle, including even small swimming beetles.

Water scorpion (Nepa cinerea) - you can see how an air duct sticks out of the water

In other cases, scorpions, especially their young larvae, can be found in the coastal zone of rapidly flowing water bodies, for example, in streams and rivers. Clutching legs help them fight with the help of which the bugs hold on to aquatic plants.

The water scorpion moves very slowly, clinging to the plants with the claws of its limbs. Swims badly and reluctantly; among our other water bugs, this is the weakest swimmer. Most often, a scorpion sits motionless on aquatic plants, crouching its prey. It should be noted that he also has developed wings.

The protective coloring of the water scorpion is very remarkable, which in color and shape is strikingly reminiscent of a dead leaf falling into the water (the phenomenon of mimicry). This similarity, with his sedentary lifestyle, makes him less noticeable both for enemies, and, in particular, for his prey.

Noticing his prey, the scorpion throws out the front pair of legs with lightning movement and grabs the prey. In this regard, the forelimbs have a very peculiar shape, resembling a pair of giant jaws rather than legs. The saber-shaped curved tibia can be pressed against strong, extended hips, and the tibia enters the longitudinal groove of the thigh like a blade of a penknife fits into the slot of the handle. At the base of the thigh there is a hook for which the foot clings when the lower leg is folded.

The prey squeezed in such a terrible vice is sucked out with the help of a short sharp jointed proboscis. Note that the proboscis of a water scorpion is sharp and strong enough to pierce human skin; therefore, the insect, in case of careless contact, can inflict quite painful injections.

The scorpion breathes atmospheric air. In this case, the long process, which is present in adult specimens on the posterior end of the body, plays a role. This is nothing more than a tube made up of two grooves facing each other. Having exposed the outer end of the breathing tube from the water, the scorpion draws with its help air into a closed space under the wings, from where air is passed into the spiracles of the abdomen. In larvae, a long respiratory siphon is absent. There is only a short process that acts in a similar way (Fig. 6).

Reproduction occurs with the help of eggs, which the female lays at the beginning of summer on various aquatic plants. Scorpion eggs are quite large and have a very peculiar shape: on one of the 4 poles of the oblong-oval egg sits a corolla of seven filiform appendages (six or eight appendages are less common).

When the female introduces eggs into the tissue of aquatic plants, these appendages remain outside, deploying in the form of a rosette. The importance of the appendages is probably that with their help, a supply of air is carried inside the egg. The larvae emerging from the eggs are very similar in appearance to an adult insect, but are deprived, as indicated above, of a long breathing tube and acquire it only after the last molt.

Water Scorpion Larva

Larvae (nymphs) hatch from the eggs, for the most part, very similar to adult individuals, only smaller. They have no wings, and the duct is a single tube.

The larval stage lasts about three months.

Adult water scorpions are hatched by the end of autumn and winter already in adulthood.

Water Scorpion Nymph

The external differences of the nymph from the adult are clearly visible:
   ■ size (it is not visible, it will have to take my word for it)
   ■ color (noticeably lighter)
   ■ body shape
   ■ lack of wings
   ■ instead of a breathing tube of two halves - a solid thick tube
   ■ oral apparatus (see the following photo)

Water scorpion nymph, the oral apparatus is clearly visible

But the photo accidentally hit an interesting event. Already when viewing the shots I discovered that I accidentally captured the moment when the larva captured some insect with a claw.

And on the next frame, she already sucks the victim “without the help of hands”, only with her elephant proboscis.

Water scorpion nymph seized an insect

Aquatic scorpion (Nepa cinerea) does not belong to true scorpions, but is a large aquatic insect belonging to the family of bugs from the Hemiptera infraorder. Its smoothed leaf-like body is grayish-brown on top, which allows the insect to remain invisible among the vegetation during a long ambush; but the wings and the inside of the back are pink, and during the flight the scorpion is clearly visible. An adult does not exceed 4.5 cm in length, however, it is a real predator. Water scorpion is a poor swimmer and tends to move, mainly clinging and crawling along plants or along the bottom. The scorpion hunts, larvae of mosquitoes and mosquitoes, fish fry, tadpoles and a number of other inhabitants of the reservoir, which it captures with its front legs strong, like tweezers.

It is very interesting to watch how a water scorpion hunts. After waiting for his victim in an ambush, the scorpion throws out the front pair of legs with a lightning motion and grabs it. The first pair of legs of a water scorpion is very mobile, and is used to capture prey, because the forelimbs have a peculiar shape, outwardly resembling a pair of jaws. The saber-shaped curved tibia is pressed against the strong, extended hips, and the tibia enters the longitudinal groove of the thigh like a blade of a penknife is inserted into the slot of the handle. At the base of the thigh there is a hook for which the foot clings when the lower leg is folded.

At the caught prey, the scorpion finds a place unprotected by the chitinous layer or scales and plunges into it a short, rather sharp jointed proboscis, through which it injects poison containing digestive enzymes and only then sucks the victim's insides. Like this process takes a lot of time. Noteworthy is the remarkable “tail” of the water scorpion - a thin process on the back of the insect, which is used as a siphon to supply air to its owner. Water scorpions tend to stay under water, with their tail protruding from the water and wait for suitable prey to pass by.

Very young larvae are tailless, since the tail appears over time during the molting process. In immature forms, the siphon is undeveloped and breathing occurs through six pairs of abdominal spiracles. Since air enters the surface of the insect through the respiratory tail, the aquatic scorpion is able to remain under water for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Water scorpion is active throughout the year; adults also occur in winter; they move freely under ice or under stones. Most adults are unable to fly because the muscles are poorly developed, but sometimes they rise into the air to try to colonize new bodies of water.

Mating takes place from April to the end of May, and females lay eggs below the surface of the water, among the algae. One adult can lay 32 eggs per night. The eggs have 7 long processes of hair, which touch the surface of the water and serve as the respiratory system, supplying oxygen to the developing body. After 3-4 weeks, larvae emerge from the eggs; they spend most of their time in shallow water at the edge of the ponds. As a result of incomplete metamorphosis, the larvae progress through a series of molts. The stages between molting are known as “age stages”. This species of water scorpion has 5 age stages, and it takes about 6-8 weeks to develop into adults. These water bugs are widespread throughout Europe, with the exception of Northern Scotland, where they became rare. In Russia, water scorpion can be found near small rivers, ponds, and swamps.