Insects
of the Canal
| A List of some of the insects we found by the Grand Canal. | |
| Dragonflies and Damselflies | |
| Wall Brown Butterfly | |
| Water Boatman | |
| Click on any of the above insects to go directly to a description. | |
Characteristics of Insects
1. An insects body has three main parts - the head, the thorax and the abdomen.
2. Insects breathe through tiny air holes (spiracles) along the sides of their bodies.
3. Insects have three pairs of legs i.e. six legs.
1. Dragonflies and Damselflies
Dragonflies are larger and stronger that damselflies. They rest
with their wings outstretched. Their wings are not coupled (joined together)
so they are better at flying and have greater manoeuvrability in the air.
They can reach speeds of up to 30km. per hour. Baby dragonflies are called
nymphs and live in the canal bed eating insects, tadpoles, worms and even
small fish.
Damselflies are smaller in size than dragonflies. They rest with their
wings folded behind them and their wings are coupled (joined) so they are
not as skilful at flying as dragonflies.
The Brown Hawker Dragonfly has a brown body and gets its name from
its habit of hawking its territory. It flies up and down patrolling its patch
of canal ready to attack any intruders. The Common Blue Damselfly has
a pretty sky blue body and is commonly found along canal banks. The male Emerald
Damselfly is bright green when young and has powdery blue patches when
older. The female will stay green even as an adult. The male Banded Demoiselle
has a metallic blue body. The female has a metallic green body but will become
bronze with age.
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2. Cinnibar Moth
The
Cinnibar moth has red markings and flies in grassy places along the canal
from May to July. It is nocturnal which means it flies at night.
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3. Wall Brown Butterfly
The Wall Brown Butterfly feeds on nectar from the purple Buddelia flower on
the canal bank. It uses its long tongue called a probiscus to suck up nectar.
Its caterpillars are a blue-green colour with dark green and white stripes
along their bodies.
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4. Pond Skater
The Pond Skater is 12cm. long and "skates" around the surface of
the water. Its feet have tiny hairs which repel (push away) the water and
stop the insect sinking. Its hind legs are used as a rudder (to steer) and
front legs are used to catch tiny insects.
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5. Water Boatman
The Water Boatman swims just under the surface of the canal water. Its middle
and hind legs are the same length. It rows along on its back using its large
back legs - hence the name Water Boatman. Courting males "sing"
loudly to their girlfriends by rubbing their front legs against their heads.
They can also give a nasty nip!
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6. Whirligig Beetles
These small black beetles swim in groups spinning around on the water surface.
They have two pairs of eyes for seeing above and below the water.
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