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Veliidae

Family of true bugs

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(Hemiptera: Veliidae) Microvelia macgregori illustrated by Des Helmore.
Desmond W. Helmore · CC BY 4.0

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Veliidae have a specialized body plan that allows them to walk on water and are neuston. The family Gerridae is another closely related group that is also neuston and both are in the superfamily Gerroidea. Veliidae are smaller however, between 1.5 and 6 mm (0.059 and 0.236 in). They can be found on ponds, near lake shores, and in rivers worldwide. Some species can also be found on plants near water, in salt water or in mud flats.

Description

Veliidae are very similar to Gerridae. The most consistent characteristic used to separate these two families are internal genitalia differences, however external cues are usually sufficient to tell the families apart.

A general description is as follows: an oval to elongate body covered with hydrofuge hairs. Wings can be present or absent; when present the wings range from well devolved to vestigial. The four segmented antennae is longer than the head and readily visible. The antennae is non-aristate. The eyes are usually large, but there are no ocelli.

Males and females can be differentiated by the fore tibiae. Males have smaller tibiae with a grasping comb, as opposed to the larger plain female tibiae.

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