Water Bug

Scientists find 58 new water bug species

The work of two scientists over the last decade has almost doubled the number of described Australian semi-aquatic bug species.
Identifying the new species of semi-aquatic bugs saw Tom Weir, CSIRO Entomology, and Nils Andersen, Copenhagen University, examine more than 45,000 specimens from around Australia.
"Despite living on the world’s driest continent, Australia’s water bugs are as numerous as they are diverse," Mr Tom Weir said. "The 58 new species of semi-aquatic bugs we have discovered and described adds to our knowledge of Australia’s biodiversity and increases the pool of knowledge about the world’s insect species."
Water bugs are a key part of aquatic ecosystems and also provide benefits to humans since many species prey on mosquitoes and are themselves a food source for fish. In some cases water bugs can prove useful in monitoring the quality of some aquatic environments.