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Glite Dictionary
Notonecta undulata

Notonecta undulata

9.9
A water insect that swims on its back and bites painfully
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Notonecta undulata
  • The Notonecta undulata is well known for its ability to swim upside down beneath the water's surface.

Examples

  • Caution is advised, as the Notonecta undulata can inflict a rather painful bite if handled.

  • Researchers observed a Notonecta undulata preying on other aquatic insects in the pond.

  • Look at that Notonecta undulata!

  • The Notonecta undulata is often found in ponds.

  • Caution is advised, as the Notonecta undulata can inflict a rather painful bite if handled.

  • Researchers observed a Notonecta undulata preying on other aquatic insects in the pond.

  • The Notonecta undulata is well known for its ability to swim upside down beneath the water's surface.

Synonyms

backswimmer
vsNotonecta undulata
  • Specialized
1 9.9

An insect that swims on its back in water and gives a painful bite

is the scientific species name used for that same insect

Surface Forms

Notonecta undulata singular
Notonecta undulatas plural

Morphology

Notonecta + undulata

This is a taxonomic binomial: the genus 'Notonecta' names a backswimmer, so a learner who knows that can infer this is a kind of backswimmer. However, the specific epithet 'undulata' is a Latin adjective (not likely known to a B1 learner) and species names are specialized conventions rather than normal English composition, so the full sense and nuances are not directly derivable.

Etymology

Notonecta undulata gets its name from the insect's habit of swimming on its back: it lies upside down and moves under the water, so people call it the 'back swimmer'. That's why the name shows how it moves and warns that it can give a painful bite.