Aquatic insect

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A water beetle
A whirligig beetle

Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their

diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects cannot compete
.

Breathing

One problem that aquatic insects must overcome is how to get

tracheal
tubes where oxygen can be absorbed. All aquatic insects have become adapted to their environment with the specialization of these structures

Aquatic adaptations
  1. Simple diffusion over a relatively thin integument
  2. Temporary use of an air bubble
  3. Extraction of oxygen from water using a
    plastron or blood gill
  4. Storage of oxygen in hemoglobin and hemocyanin molecules in hemolymph[1][2]
  5. Taking oxygen from surface via breathing tubes (siphons)

The nymphs of the

holometabolous orders megalopterans and caddisflies, possess tracheal gills, which are outgrowths of the body wall containing a dense network of tracheae covered by a thin cuticle through which oxygen in the water can diffuse. [3][4][5]

Some insects have densely packed hairs (

plastron or physical gill that can be various combinations of hairs, scales, and undulations projecting from the cuticle, which hold a thin layer of air along the outer surface of the body. In these insects, the volume of the film is small enough, and their respiration slow enough, that diffusion from the surrounding water is enough to replenish the oxygen in the pocket of air as fast as it is used. The large proportion of nitrogen in the air dissolves in water slowly and maintains the gas volume, supporting oxygen diffusion. Insects of this type only rarely need to replenish their supply of air.[6]

Other aquatic insects can remain under water for long periods due to high concentrations of hemoglobin in their hemolymph circulating freely within their body. Hemoglobin bonds strongly to oxygen molecules. [7]

A few insects such as

hydrofuge
hairs, allowing them to breathe without having to leave the water.

Orders with aquatic or semiaquatic species

EPT insects, an acronym for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies), are sensitive to pollutants and are used as an indicator of water quality in streams, rivers and lakes.[8]

Marine aquatic insects

The aquatic insects live mostly in

freshwater habitats since there are very few marine insect species.[9] The only true example of such insects are the sea skaters
, which belongs to the Hemiptera order.

References

  1. PMID 22575160
    .
  2. S2CID 221939457
    .
  3. ^ Stanley, D.; Bedick, J (1997). "Respiration in aquatic insects". Archived from the original on 2003-12-20. Retrieved 27 December 2003.
  4. ISBN 978-0-520-96357-3
    .
  5. ^ Bionomics and Ecological Services of Megaloptera Larvae (Dobsonflies, Fishflies, Alderflies)
  6. S2CID 44604027
    .
  7. ^ Meyer, J.R. "Respiration in Aquatic Insects". General Entomology ENT425. NC State University. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  8. ^ Watershed Science Institute - USDA
  9. ^ Why are there so few insects at sea? Deutsche Welle, 9 July 2018.
  • Farb, P. (1962). The Water Dwellers [LIFE]INSECTS pg. 142.
  • Meyer, J.R. (2006), "Respiration in Aquatic Insects". (Accessed 25 April 2008)
  • Wigglesworth, Vincent B. Sir (1964). The life of insects. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London

External links

  • Insect stages - "Some larvae, nymphs and adult insects that live in freshwater." A UK-based web site with microscopic photos of various insects and other microorganisms as well as biological information.
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