| Nepidae Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Nepa cinerea | |
| |
| Ranatra linearis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Infraorder: | Nepomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Nepoidea |
| Family: | Nepidae Latreille 1802 |
| Subfamilies, Genera | |
|
See text | |
Nepidae is a family of exclusively aquatic Heteropteran insects in the order Hemiptera.[1] They are commonly called water scorpions for their superficial resemblance to scorpions, due to their raptorial forelegs and the presence of a long slender process at the posterior end of the abdomen, resembling a tail.[2] There are 14 genera in the family, in two subfamilies, Nepinae and Ranatrinae. Members of the genus Ranatra, the most widespread and species-rich genus, are sometimes called needle bugs or water stick insects as they are slenderer than Nepa.[3]
While water scorpions do not sting with their tail (it is used for breathing),[4] they do have a painful bite (strictly speaking a sting by their pointed proboscis), but this is much less harmful to humans than a true scorpion's sting.[5]
- ^ Nepidae, Tree of life project
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ I. Lansbury (1974). "A new genus of Nepidae from Australia with a revised classification of the family (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)". Australian Journal of Entomology. 13 (3): 219–227. doi:10.1111/j.1440-6055.1974.tb02176.x.
- ^ "Water Scorpions". Archived from the original on 2002-08-27.
- ^ "Water scorpion | insect".