backswimmer

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back·swim·mer

 (băk′swĭm′ər)
n.
Any of various predatory hemipteran insects of the family Notonectidae that live in freshwater habitats and swim on their backs by means of oarlike hind legs.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

backswimmer

(ˈbækˌswɪmə)
n
(Animals) an aquatic bug belonging to the family Notonectidae that swims on its back using its back legs as oars
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

back•swim•mer

(ˈbækˌswɪm ər)

n.
any of various predatory aquatic bugs, of the family Notonectidae, that swim on their backs.
[1860–65]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.backswimmer - predaceous aquatic insect that swims on its back and may inflict painful bitesbackswimmer - predaceous aquatic insect that swims on its back and may inflict painful bites
Notonecta undulata
hemipteran, hemipteron, hemipterous insect, bug - insects with sucking mouthparts and forewings thickened and leathery at the base; usually show incomplete metamorphosis
genus Notonecta, Notonecta - type genus of the Notonectidae: backswimmers
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
The aquatic insects known as backswimmers (Heteroptera: Notonectidae) are invertebrate predators that can play a major role in shaping the structure and the abundance of Zooplankton population in several freshwater environments (Nesbitt et al., 1996; Blaustein, 1998; Hampton et al., 2000).
Distribution and fluctuations of backswimmers (notonectidae) in a tropical shallow lake and predation on microcrustaceans/ Distribuicao e flutuacao de notonectideos (Notonectidae) em um lago tropical raso e a predacao sobre microcrustaceos
Leg segment proportions, predatory strategy and growth in backswimmers (Hemiptera: Pleidae, Notonectidae).
Morphology of the 1st gonapophysis in the genus Neoplea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pleidae), including an evaluation of its taxonomic importance
Locomotion and predatory strategy in backswimmers (Hemiptera: Notonectidae).
New records of Martarega, Graptocorixa, and Abedus (Heteroptera: Notonectidae, Corixidae, Belostomatidae) from northwestern Mexico and Arizona, including the first record of Graptocorixa emburyi in the United States
Details: www.bmag.org.uk POND LIFE FROM 11am-12.30pm every Thursday in August, an event called Boatmen And Backswimmers is a chance to join the Edgbaston Reservoir rangers to find out more about the various land and pond creatures on the site.
guide to week 2minute
There are photo-packed chapters on wood lice, slugs and snails, aphids, caterpillars, worms, earwigs, ladybugs, spiders, crickets & katydids, pseudoscorpions, mosquito larvae, dragonfly larvae, and backswimmers. Kids will learn how to build an ant farm, spider house, bee box, wormery, and other habitats for bugs.
Bug Zoo
MONDAY nHunt out boatmen and backswimmers at Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve, off Eachelhurst Road, Erdington.
outdoor diary
Water boatmen often are confused with backswimmers, a family of similar-looking but larger aquatic bugs.
Wild wonders of winter: prehistoric pine cones, daredevil otters and sleepy bears are only a few of the season's natural wonders
Backswimmers are the scuba divers of the insect world.
Ready, set, action! Meet some of nature's coolest movers and shakers
1992; Ravenscroft 1994; Moilanen & Hanski 1998; Bergman 1999) and backswimmers of the genus Notonecta (Briers & Warren 2000).
Spatial association between a spider wasp and its host in fragmented dune habitats
In the order Hemiptera there are a large number of other species of water bugs that are commonly found in ponds, these range from herbivores like water boatmen (named for their oar-like rear swimming legs) to small predators such as backswimmers (they swim on their backs).
The electric light bug
Wetlands are also home to a host of species that feed on mosquitoes, including beetles, backswimmers, water striders, dragonfly larvae, frogs, fish and a number of mosquito-eating birds.
Wetlands versus West Nile
The book covers mayflies, caddisfiles, stoneflies, midges, craneflies, aquatic worms, damselflies, dragonflies, backswimmers, water boatmen, water beetles, terrest rials, baitfish and leeches, and crustaceans.
Gierach and Schullery on Fly Fishing, and Fly Books

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