Micronecta scholtzi
Encyclopedia
Micronecta scholtzi, also known as the Lesser Water Boatman, is a species of water boatman
in the family Corixidae in the order Hemiptera
. They are some 2 mm long and are common in freshwater ponds and lakes across Europe, preferring stagnant to moving water. It is one of some 45 species of Hemiptera used to assess and monitor the health of freshwater bodies. The genus Micronecta is represented by five species, of which four are to be found only in permanent fresh water lakes.
M. scholtzi is easily differentiated from other species in this genus by the twisted left paramere
of the male genitalia, (see traumatic insemination
) the short pronotum and a distinctive dark pattern on the head. Little is known of its habits and habitat, but it is thought to flourish in the shallows of ponds or lake shores.
A team of biologists and sound engineers from France and Scotland have recorded M. scholtzi producing sound up to 99.2 decibels, a volume comparable to a passing freight train. The noise was so unexpectedly loud that the engineers checked the calibration of their instruments. The male of this species produces its underwater courtship song by stridulating a ridge on its penis across corrugations on its abdomen, the area involved measuring only 50 micrometres across, or about the thickness of a human hair. Almost all volume is lost when sound moves from water to air, but even so remains audible to humans walking along the pond shore. For its size this species is considered the loudest of all animals. Despite knowing the mechanism of its sound production, researchers are still mystified by the volume produced and feel that once the process is understood, it could open up a useful avenue in ultrasonics
.
Not many insects are known to generate sound with reproductive organs, but the pyralid moth, Syntonarcha
iriastis, is one such, emitting ultrasonic squeaks.
Water boatman
Corixidae is a family of aquatic insects in the order Hemiptera that inhabit ponds and slow moving streams, where they swim near the bottom. There are about 500 known species worldwide, in 33 genera, including the genus Sigara....
in the family Corixidae in the order Hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
. They are some 2 mm long and are common in freshwater ponds and lakes across Europe, preferring stagnant to moving water. It is one of some 45 species of Hemiptera used to assess and monitor the health of freshwater bodies. The genus Micronecta is represented by five species, of which four are to be found only in permanent fresh water lakes.
- Micronecta scholtzi (FieberFranz Xaver FieberFranz Xaver Fieber was a German botanist and entomologist.He was the son of Franz Anton Fieber and Maria Anna née Hantsehl. He studied economics, management science and modern languages at the Czech Technical University in Prague from 1824 to 1828...
, 1860) - M. minutissima (Linnaeus, 1758)
- M. griseola Géza HorváthGéza HorváthGéza Horváth was a Hungarian doctor and entomologist internationally recognized for his work on bugs .He also contributed extensively to the study of Hungarian scale insect fauna...
1899 - M. poweri (DouglasJohn William DouglasJohn William Douglas was an English entomologist, chiefly interested in microlepidopteraJohn William Douglas was born 1814 in Putney. He became interested in insects whilst working at Kew Gardens and published many papers and books on entomology...
& ScottJohn Scott (entomologist)John Scott was an English entomologist. He was born, and died, in Morpeth. His collection of specimens is held at the Natural History Museum, London.-References:...
1869)
M. scholtzi is easily differentiated from other species in this genus by the twisted left paramere
Paramere
Parameres are part of the external reproductive organs of male insects and the term was first used by Verhoeff in 1893 for the lateral genital lobes in Coleoptera. The primary phallic lobes which appear in the nymph or larval stages may become a pair of penes in the Ephemeroptera or a simple...
of the male genitalia, (see traumatic insemination
Traumatic insemination
Traumatic insemination, also known as hypodermic insemination, is the mating practice in some species of invertebrates in which the male pierces the female's abdomen with his penis and injects his sperm through the wound into her abdominal cavity . The sperm diffuse through the female's hemolymph,...
) the short pronotum and a distinctive dark pattern on the head. Little is known of its habits and habitat, but it is thought to flourish in the shallows of ponds or lake shores.
A team of biologists and sound engineers from France and Scotland have recorded M. scholtzi producing sound up to 99.2 decibels, a volume comparable to a passing freight train. The noise was so unexpectedly loud that the engineers checked the calibration of their instruments. The male of this species produces its underwater courtship song by stridulating a ridge on its penis across corrugations on its abdomen, the area involved measuring only 50 micrometres across, or about the thickness of a human hair. Almost all volume is lost when sound moves from water to air, but even so remains audible to humans walking along the pond shore. For its size this species is considered the loudest of all animals. Despite knowing the mechanism of its sound production, researchers are still mystified by the volume produced and feel that once the process is understood, it could open up a useful avenue in ultrasonics
Ultrasonics
Ultrasonics is a term meaning the application of ultrasound. It is often used in industry as a shorthand term for any equipment employing ultrasonic principles....
.
Not many insects are known to generate sound with reproductive organs, but the pyralid moth, Syntonarcha
Syntonarcha
Syntonarcha is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Syntonarcha iriastis Meyrick, 1890*Syntonarcha vulnerata T. P. Lucas, 1894-References:*...
iriastis, is one such, emitting ultrasonic squeaks.