Insect Orders
Pleidae Family: Pigmy Backswimmers
Neoplea sp.
a.
b.
c.
Neoplea sp.
- Common Name: Pigmy Backswimmer
- Identifying Feature: The rear tarus of this genus has three segments.
- Time of Year Found: All year
- Size of Mature Adult: 2mm
- Habitat: Slow moving water, ponds and small lakes
- Other Information: Feeds on daphnea (water fleas). I observed one Neoplea sp. devour 3 daphnea in a petri dish in a ten minute period. Neoplea sp. holds a bubble of air on its ventral side in order to breathe under water.
- Figures:
a. Side view of adult
b. Adult eating daphnea
c. Ventral view of adult