Backswimmer / Te pepeke kaukiore
- Pūtoi
- Order
- Hemiptera
- Whānau
- Family
- Notonectidae
Te Rahi
- E 5–6 mm
Size range
- 5–6 mm
Te Tītaringa
- He momo Māori
Distribution
- Native
Te Huringa Ora
- He noho wai.
- Kitea ai i ngā takotoranga wai rerekore – i ngā hōpua, i ngā roto, i ngā hake wai kararehe, me ngā kōawa kua purutiti i te tarutaru
- E rua ngā momo āhua rite tonu te hanga
- Ka tīraha i a ia ka kau haere
- Ka kapohia e ia he hau takiwā māna ki ētahi huru rauiti kei raro i tōna tinana, e pai ai tana noho ki raro i te wai mō te 15 meneti.
- He kai pepeke, tae atu ki ngā torongū o te waeroa me ō ētahi atu
- He rere ētahi, he rerekore ētahi,
- Ka āhei te rere i tētahi hōpua ki tētahi
- He pītara kitā, pērā anō i te kīkītara
Life history
- Aquatic
- Found in standing water bodies – ponds lakes, troughs, clogged streams
- Two similar species
- Swims on its back
- Traps air amongst fine hairs under its body, thus able to stay underwater up to 15 minutes
- Eats other insects including mosquito and other larvae
- Flightless and flying forms
- Able to fly between ponds
- Makes noise – stridulates