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WATER SCORPION
ORDER HEMIPTERA - FAMILY NEPIDAE - GENUS RANATRA |
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| Description: The Water Scorpions belong to the Family Nepidae and only three known genera belong in this family. Nepidae are given the name Water Scorpion due to the nature that their front legs look similar to the pedipalps of real scorpions. This particular water scorpion is from the Genus Ranatra which contains nine species. Ranatra vary in body length from 20 to 40 mm and are brown and are long and thin like grass or straw.
Habitat: Water scorpions are commonly found lurking in trash and mud in ponds and mellow, marshy streams where they linger in search of prey. Also, at night the water scorpions will leave water and fly. The specimen in the photos was found in Yakus Pond at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA in late November 2002. |
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