Nepa (genus)
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| Nepa | |
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| File:Nepa cinerea MHNT Dos.jpg | |
| Nepa cinerea | |
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Nepa
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Nepa is a genus belonging to the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions.
They are oval-bodied, aquatic insects with raptorial front legs. Like other members of the Nepidae, they have a pair of nonretractable cerci-like breathing tubes on the terminal abdominal segment, a characteristic which readily distinguishes them from the Belostomatidae. Their primary staples are other insects and small aquatic vertebrates. They can inflict a painful bite when handled.[2]
Contents
Etymology
'Nepa' is a classical Latin word for a 'scorpion' or 'crab'.[3]
Species
A partial list of species includes:[4]
- Nepa apiculata Uhler, 1862
- Nepa cinerea Linnaeus, 1758
- Nepa anophthalma Decu et al., 1994[5]
N. apiculata is the only species found in United States and is widely distributed,[2] while N. cinerea is found in Europe.
Linnaeus lists a number of species in his initial description of the genus, many of which, if not all, have been moved to other genera.
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 'Nepa' on latin-dictionary.net
- ↑ 'Nepa' on ITIS.gov
- ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233569840_Stygobiotic_Waterscorpion_Nepa_anophthalma_n_sp_Heteroptera_Nepidae_from_a_Sulfurous_Cave_in_Romania
