According to the paper published in the journal Zootaxa, researchers from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered seven species of water treaders, semi-aquatic insects that can walk or run on the surface of water.
- The newly discovered species belong to the genus Mesovelia.
The newly discovered species are:
- Mesovelia andamana: Andaman Islands,
- Mesovelia bispinosa and Mesovelia isiasi: Meghalaya,
- Mesovelia occulta and Mesovelia tenuia: Tamil Nadu
- Mesovelia brevia and Mesovelia dilatata: From Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu.
Features
- The species ranges from 1.5 mm to 4.5 mm and are equipped with hydrophobic setae (bristles) on their legs.
- The combination of hydrophobic setae and water surface tension prevents them from sinking.
- The insects are pale green with silver-white wings with black veins on the basal half which make them stand out over the green mat of aquatic weeds.
- These bugs serve as predators and scavengers (feed on midges, water fleas, feed on dead and dying mosquitoes), thereby removing organic waste and also providing a natural sanitation service.
- The females of Mesovelia are larger than males and dig several holes on plants and insert eggs in plant tissues with a specially adapted long serrated ovipositor (genital organ).
- There are 12 species of genus Mesovelia found in the country. While large water striders (Limnogonus, Aquarius, Cylindrostethus, Gerris, Ptilomera) are easily spotted upon the surface of water, the tiny Mesovelia are not as well-known.
