''Ranatra'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of slender

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

y insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions, with the highest diversity in South America (almost 50 species) and Asia (about 30 species, reviewed in 1972Lansbury I (1972) A review of the Oriental species of ''Ranatra'' Fabricius (Hemiptera-Heteroptera: Nepidae). ''Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London'', vol. 124, no. 3. 287-341.). Fewer are found elsewhere, but include several African, some in North America, three from Australia and three from the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

, notably the relatively well-known European '' R. linearis''. Since ''Ranatra'' belongs to the family Nepidae which in turn belongs to the order

Hemiptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order (biology), order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising over 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, Reduviidae, assassin bugs, Cimex, bed bugs, and shield bugs. ...

, ranatrids are considered "true bugs". These brown insects are primarily found in stagnant or slow-moving water like ponds, marshes and canals, but can also be seen in streams. Exceptionally they have been recorded from

hypersaline lake A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride, brines, and other salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water (3.5%, i.e. ). Specific microbial species can thrive in ...

s and

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

lagoons.

Biology

The front

legs A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element ...

of bugs in ''Ranatra'' are strong and used to grasp prey. They typically eat other insects,

tadpole A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...

s and small fish, which they pierce with their

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

and inject a saliva which both sedates and begins to digest their prey. They are

sit-and-wait predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey usi ...

s that reside among water plants and position themselves head-down with their grasping legs extended out to surprise passing prey. At least one species will also swim in open water at night to catch

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

ic organisms. Like other members in the family they have a long tail-like

siphon A siphon (from grc, σίφων, síphōn, "pipe, tube", also spelled nonetymologically syphon) is any of a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. In a narrower sense, the word refers particularly to a tube in a ...

, or breathing tube, on the rear end of their body. The adult body length is generally depending on the exact species, and females average larger than males of the same species. The siphon is typically almost the same size, but varies from less than half the body length to somewhat longer. Two of the largest species are the East Asian ''R. chinensis'' and South American ''R. magna''. ''Ranatra'' do have wings and they can fly. The adults are active year-round, except in extreme cold. Their eggs are positioned on plants just below the water surface, but in some species they can be placed in mud. The eggs typically take two to four weeks to hatch and the young take about two months to mature. RanatraLinearisHead.JPG, ''Ranatra linearis'' Ranatra chinensis.svg, ''Ranatra chinensis'' Water Scorpion - Ranatra species, Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, Aden, Virginia.jpg, ''Ranatra'' crawling on human fingers Among the four genera in the Ranatrinae subfamily, '' Austronepa'' and '' Goondnomdanepa'' are restricted to Australia. '' Cercotmetus'' from Asia to New Guinea resembles ''Ranatra'', although the former has a distinctly shorter siphon.

Species

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility lists:Global Biodiversity Information Facility: ''Ranatra'' Fabricius, 1790 (retrieved 12 January 2021)
/ref> * ''

Ranatra absona ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 * ''

Ranatra acapulcana ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 * ''

Ranatra adelmorpha ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Nieser, 1975 * ''

Ranatra aethiopica ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Montandon, 1903 * ''

Ranatra akoitachta ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Nieser, 1996 * ''

Ranatra ameghinoi ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' De Carlo, 1970 * ''

Ranatra annulipes ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Stål, 1854 * ''

Ranatra attenuata ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Kuitert, 1949 * ''

Ranatra australis ''Ranatra australis'', the southern water scorpion, is a species of waterscorpion in the family Nepidae Nepidae is a family of exclusively aquatic Heteropteran insects in the order Hemiptera. They are commonly called water scorpions for thei ...

'' Hungerford, 1922^{i c g b} (southern water scorpion) * ''

Ranatra bachmanni ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' De Carlo, 1954 * ''

Ranatra bilobata ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Tran & Nguyen, 2016 * '' Ranatra biroi'' Lundblad, 1933 * '' Ranatra bottegoi'' Montandon, 1903 * ''

Ranatra brasiliensis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' De Carlo, 1946 * '' Ranatra brevicauda'' Montandon, 1905 * '' Ranatra brevicollis'' Montandon, 1910^{i c g b} * ''

Ranatra buenoi ''Ranatra buenoi'' is a species of waterscorpion Nepidae is a family of exclusively aquatic Heteropteran insects in the order Hemiptera. They are commonly called water scorpions for their superficial resemblance to scorpions, due to their rap ...

'' Hungerford, 1922^{i c g b} * '' Ranatra camposi'' Montandon, 1907 * ''

Ranatra capensis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Germar, 1837 * '' Ranatra cardamomensis'' Zettel, Phauk, Kheam & Freitag, 2017 * '' Ranatra chagasi'' De Carlo, 1946 * '' Ranatra chariensis'' Poisson, 1949 * ''

Ranatra chinensis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Mayr, 1865 * '' Ranatra cinnamomea'' Distant, 1904 * '' Ranatra compressicollis'' Montandon, 1898 * '' Ranatra costalimai'' De Carlo, 1954 * '' Ranatra cruzi'' De Carlo, 1950 * '' Ranatra curtafemorata'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra denticulipes'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra digitata'' Hafiz & Pradhan, 1949 * '' Ranatra diminuta'' Montandon, 1907 * ''

Ranatra dispar ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1903 * '' Ranatra distanti'' Montandon, 1910 * '' Ranatra doesburgi'' De Carlo, 1963 * '' Ranatra dolichodentata'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra dormientis'' Zhang et al., 1994 * '' Ranatra drakei'' Hungerford, 1922 * ''

Ranatra ecuadoriensis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' De Carlo, 1950 * ''

Ranatra elongata ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate regions ...

'' Fabricius, 1790 * '' Ranatra emaciata'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra fabricii'' Guérin-Méneville, 1857 * '' Ranatra falloui'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra feana'' Montandon, 1903 * '' Ranatra fianarantsoana'' Poisson, 1963 * '' Ranatra filiformis'' Fabricius, 1790 * '' Ranatra flagellata'' Lansbury, 1972 * '' Ranatra flokata'' Nieser & Burmeister, 1998 * '' Ranatra fusca'' Palisot, 1820^{i c g b} (brown waterscorpion) * '' Ranatra fuscoannulata'' Distant, 1904 * '' Ranatra galantae'' Nieser, 1969 * '' Ranatra gracilis'' Dallas, 1850 * '' Ranatra grandicollis'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra grandocula'' Bergroth, 1893 * '' Ranatra hechti'' De Carlo, 1967 * ''

Ranatra heoki ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Tran & Poggi, 2019 * '' Ranatra heydeni'' Montandon, 1909 * ''

Ranatra horvathi ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1910 * '' Ranatra hungerfordi'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra incisa'' Chen, Nieser & Ho, 2004 * '' Ranatra instaurata'' Montandon, 1914 * ''

Ranatra insulata ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Barber, 1939 * '' Ranatra jamaicana'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 * '' Ranatra katsara'' Nieser, 1997 * ''

Ranatra kirkaldyi ''Ranatra kirkaldyi'' is a species of waterscorpion in the family Nepidae. It is found in North America. Subspecies These two subspecies belong to the species ''Ranatra kirkaldyi'': * ''Ranatra kirkaldyi hoffmanni'' Hungerford, 1922 * ''Ranatr ...

'' Torre-bueno, 1905^{i c g b} * '' Ranatra lanei'' De Carlo, 1946 * '' Ranatra lansburyi'' Chen, Nieser & Ho, 2004 * '' Ranatra lenti'' De Carlo, 1950 * '' Ranatra lethierryi'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra libera'' Zettel, 1999 * ''

Ranatra linearis ''Ranatra linearis'' is a species of aquatic bug in the Nepidae family. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa, and primarily found near aquatic plants in ponds, marshes and other freshwater habitats, but has exceptionally been recorded from h ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758)^{i c g} * '' Ranatra longipes'' Stål, 1861 * '' Ranatra lualalai'' Poisson, 1964 * '' Ranatra lubwae'' Poisson, 1965 * '' Ranatra machrisi'' Nieser & Burmeister, 1998 * ''

Ranatra macrophthalma ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Herrich-Schäffer, 1849 * '' Ranatra maculosa'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra magna'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra malayana'' Lundblad, 1933 * '' Ranatra mediana'' Montandon, 1910 * '' Ranatra megalops'' Lansbury, 1972 * '' Ranatra mixta'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra moderata'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra montei'' De Carlo, 1946 * '' Ranatra montezuma'' Polhemus, 1976 * '' Ranatra natalensis'' Distant, 1904 * '' Ranatra natunaensis'' Lansbury, 1972 * '' Ranatra neivai'' De Carlo, 1946 * ''

Ranatra nieseri ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Tran & Nguyen, 2016 * '' Ranatra nigra'' Herrich-Schaeffer, 1849 * '' Ranatra nodiceps'' Gerstaecker, 1873 * '' Ranatra nodioeps'' Gerstaecker, 1873 * ''

Ranatra obscura ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra occidentalis'' Lansbury, 1972 * '' Ranatra odontomeros'' Nieser, 1996 * '' Ranatra oliveiracesari'' De Carlo, 1946 * '' Ranatra operculata'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra ornitheia'' Nieser, 1975 * ''

Ranatra parmata ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Mayr, 1865 * '' Ranatra parvipes'' Signoret, 1861 * ''

Ranatra parvula ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra pittieri'' Montandon, 1910 * ''

Ranatra protense ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon * '' Ranatra quadridentata'' Stål, 1862^{i c g b} * '' Ranatra rabida'' Buchanan White, 1879 * '' Ranatra rafflesi'' Tran & D.Polhemus, 2012 * '' Ranatra rapax'' Stål, 1865 * ''

Ranatra recta ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Chen, Nieser & Ho, 2004 * ''

Ranatra robusta ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1905 * '' Ranatra sagrai'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 * '' Ranatra sarmientoi'' De Carlo, 1967 * '' Ranatra sattleri'' De Carlo, 1967 * '' Ranatra schuhi'' D.Polhemus & J.Polhemus, 2012 * '' Ranatra segrega'' Montandon, 1913 * '' Ranatra signoreti'' Montandon, 1905 * ''

Ranatra similis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 * '' Ranatra siolii'' De Carlo, 1970 * '' Ranatra sjostedti'' Montandon, 1911 * '' Ranatra spatulata'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra spinifrons'' Montandon, 1905 * '' Ranatra spoliata'' Montandon, 1912 * ''

Ranatra stali ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1905 * '' Ranatra sterea'' Chen, Nieser & Ho, 2004 * ''

Ranatra subinermis ''Ranatra'' is a genus of slender predatory insects of the family Nepidae, known as water scorpions or water stick-insects. There are around 100 ''Ranatra'' species found in freshwater habitats around the world, both in warm and temperate region ...

'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra sulawesii'' Nieser & Chen, 1991 * '' Ranatra surinamensis'' De Carlo, 1963 * '' Ranatra texana'' Hungerford, 1930 * '' Ranatra thai'' Lansbury, 1972 * '' Ranatra titilaensis'' Hafiz & Pradhan, 1949 * '' Ranatra travassosi'' De Carlo, 1950 * '' Ranatra tridentata'' Poisson, 1965 * '' Ranatra tuberculifrons'' Montandon, 1907 * '' Ranatra unicolor'' Scott, 1874 * '' Ranatra unidentata'' Stål, 1861 * '' Ranatra usingeri'' De Carlo, 1970 * '' Ranatra varicolor'' Distant, 1904 * '' Ranatra varipes'' Stål, 1861 * '' Ranatra vitshumbii'' Poisson, 1949 * '' Ranatra wagneri'' Hungerford, 1929 * '' Ranatra weberi'' De Carlo, 1970 * '' Ranatra williamsi'' Kuitert, 1949 * '' Ranatra zeteki'' Drake & De Carlo, 1953 Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1154489 Nepidae Nepomorpha genera