broad-shouldered water striders

Class: Hexapoda (animals with six legs - includes all insects)
Order: Hemiptera (true bugs)
    hemi = half and ptera = wings (singular is pteron)
    This name refers to the structure of the front wings of the adults which are usually divided - leathery at the front (i.e. closest to the head), membranous at the back.
Family: Veliidae (broad-shouldered water striders)
Species: undetermined
Common Name: broad-shouldered water striders (general)
Date: 2001 June 25
Place: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    riffle area of the stream in McKittrick Canyon

These water striders are small and dark colored. They move around on the surface of the water feeding on small insects. The adults are usually wingless. The ones pictured are gregarious (meaning they tend to cluster). The large water striders seen on the quiet regions / backwaters of the stream do not cluster together and belong to a different family.

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Note: This is a personal web site and is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Contact information for the author, Ron Lyons, is accessible through the Index Page referenced below. Thank you.