Water Bugs of Zihuatanejo

INFRAORDER NEPOMORPHA

• Animals Kingdom (Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and Allies (Order Hemiptera)

• True Bugs (Suborder Heteroptera)

• Water Bugs (Infraorder Nepomorpha)

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The infraorder Nepomorpha is a group of true bugs within the suborder Heteroptera that is specially adapted for life in freshwater habitats. Commonly known as the true water bugs, members of this infraorder are found in ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, and slow-moving rivers throughout the world. Unlike the semi-aquatic bugs of the infraorder Gerromorpha, which live on the water's surface, nepomorphs spend most or all of their lives beneath the surface. They exhibit a variety of adaptations for aquatic living, including streamlined bodies, swimming legs fringed with hairs, and specialized respiratory structures that allow them to obtain oxygen from the air or directly from the water.​​

SUPERFAMLIES