Pond skater
Gerris lacustris
Pond skater, Gerris
lacustris |
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Another view of the specimen at the head of the page. These bugs skim around on the water surface and prey upon any unfortunate insects that may fall into the water. The heading picture shows the piercing mouthparts that this insect uses to suck the juices from its victims.
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Water Stick Insect, Ranatra linearis |
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Wild M8 Stereo Microscope |
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Notonecta - Water Boatman
or Backswimmer |
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Apparently these beasts can give a nasty bite - but I try to never gve them a chance! Photographed at the pondside with an Aiptek Pocket Cam 3Mega digital camera |
Mayfly nymph |
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Wild M8 Stereo Microscope |
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Warnham Mill Pond, July 2003. Note details of the gills. |
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Phantom Midge larva: Chaoborus |
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These larvae are almost completely transparent, hence "phantom". The specimen on the left was collected, Warnham Mill Pond, July 2003 The pairs of golden coloured sacs behind the head and in the 3rd segment from the tail are swim bladders. Although this specimen was paralysed, it still floated the right way up and with perfect neutral buoyancy. Wild M8 with surface illumination. The specimen below was collected from Warnham Mill Pond 19-Feb-2004. |
Projectina Microscope Composite of four images stitched together |
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Chironimid Midge Larva (unidentified species)Sample from standing rainwater in garden, Dec 2005 |
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Microscope: Zeiss Standard GFL |
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Microscope: Zeiss Standard GFL |
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Microscope: Zeiss Standard GFL |
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Another Chironimid Midge Larva |
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Watson Bactil Binocular Microscope |
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Immature Springtail (Podura?) Walking on the water surface film Wild M8 Microscope |
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Dytiscid BeetleSimilar to a Great Diving Beetle, but much smaller at ~1 cm in length |
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Macro pictures taken using a Canon Powershot S50 with add-on "scrap-box" lens and a 1 cm deep aquarium cell These insects breathe using a bubble of air trapped under the tips of their wing-cases |
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Larva of Great Diving Beetle, Dytiscus marginalis |
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This is a big brute and voracious predator, ~ 6 cm long. The small pink creatures are Daphnia (Warnham Mill pond, July 2004) |
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Dragonfly NymphThese are also very fierce amd will attack almost anything that moves |
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Photographed in the collecting tray at the pondside, Warnham Mill Pond, July 2004 |
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Water ScorpionNepa cinerea |
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Macro pictures taken using a Canon Powershot S50 with add-on "scrap-box" lens and a 1 cm deep aquarium cell This insect lives amongst weed and is very slow moving. It breathes using the snorkel-like tube at the tip of its abdomen, so must have regular access to the water surface. They are predatory insects and use their forelegs to snatch passing prey, rather like a praying mantis. Length 18 - 22 mm. |