Back Swimmers

a family of aquatic bugs (Notonectidae). The body is convex on the dorsal surface and flat ventrally. The natatory hind legs are covered with short hairs and flattened at the end into the shape of oars. The insects swim with the ventral surface uppermost. The beak is piercing and powerful; back swimmers are predators and attack young fish, tadpoles, and small insects, migrating from one body of water to another by flying. They lay their eggs in the tissue of water plants. There are about 170 species, widely distributed in both fresh and brackish waters. Species of the genus Notonecta (up to 16 mm in length) are common in Europe. Several of these species, such as N. glauca and N. lutea, are injurious to the fishing industry.