Notonectidae
9.9
Insects that live in fresh water, swim on their backs, and eat small animals
- noun
- Specialized
:
Notonectidae
- Backswimmers (Family Notonectidae).
Examples
-
When I observed the Notonectidae, I was amazed by how they move gracefully on their backs.
-
Many species within the Notonectidae family are known to hunt smaller aquatic creatures.
-
The insects in the family Notonectidae can be found swimming on the surface of ponds.
Synonyms
1
9.9
An insect that swims on its back in water and gives a painful bite
is the scientific family name used in taxonomy for the same group
Surface Forms
Notonectidae singular
Notonectidaes plural
Etymology
Notonectidae comes from the Greek parts noton 'back' and nektos 'swimmer', with the ending -idae meaning 'family'. So Notonectidae are literally the 'back swimmers', which fits these insects that swim on their backs.